ABOUT ALTERED STATES
Altered States: Painting Myanmar in a Time of Transition
is an exhibition that brings together art, technology and culture through a selection of Burmese paintings from the Thukhuma Collection that are on loan to Singapore Management University. Using augmented reality art (AR.T), The MeshMinds Foundation brings three selected paintings to life, innovating new ways to immerse in Burmese culture.
The Thukhuma Collection is the largest collection of contemporary Burmese art. Assembled by Ian Holliday, a specialist in Burmese politics, more than a decade ago, these paintings largely date from the transitional decade of the 2010s and present multiple artistic perspectives on a society in reform. The exhibition invites us to reflect upon the concerns, aspirations and hopes the artists had at that period for Myanmar and its people, and what has changed and what has remained the same, even as the country undergoes a seismic shift after the military coup on 1 February 2021.
Exhibiting artists are Aung Khaing, Aung Ko, Aung Kyi Soe, Aung Soe Min, Dawei Lay, Kin Maung Yin, Kyaw Yin, Min Kyaw Swar, Min Zaw, Pho Tun, Soe Naing, Soe Soe, Tamalar, Yan Naing Oo, Zwe Mon, Zwe Yan Naing.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a panel discussion, workshop, tours, and a film programme curated by Asian Film Archive. For more information on the exhibition and programmes, go to
https://artcollections.smu.edu.sg/.
Learn about our physical showcase at SMU!
Discover our artists and AR artworks!
Join our events. Register for the panel discussion!
ABOUT AR.T EXHIBITION
For the first time, SMU Libraries and The MeshMinds Foundation present a ground-breaking art x tech programme that explores the powerful narratives of the Thukhuma collection through augmented reality art (AR.T).
As part of Singapore Art Week 2023 (SAW), AR.T Exhibition is an immersive display of the narratives painted by Burmese artists, bringing their traditional artworks to life through augmented reality (AR). The exhibition is designed to intrigue audiences by shedding light on the local culture and domestic happenings within Myanmar. Glance through the lenses of these artists and gain an understanding of the perspectives and experiences of the various personalities present within the country of Myanmar, as ordinary people, women or individuals who yearn for the freedom of personal expression.
6 JANUARY - 4 FEBRUARY 2023
at SMU DE SUANTIO GALLERY
90 Stamford Road, Singapore 178903
Opening hours:
Tue–Sat: 11am–8pm
Closed on Sundays, Mondays and Public Holidays
ARTISTS AND ARTWORKS
MIN ZAW
Min Zaw (b. 1972, Yangon) graduated from Yangon's State School of Fine Arts in 1994, and the University of Culture in Yangon in 1998. He was a finalist in the 2002 ASEAN Art Award when it was first extended to include entries from Myanmar, and a founding member of the collective Studio Square which was established in Yangon in 2003.
ORDINARY PEOPLE
2013, Acrylic on Canvas
91.5cm x 122 cm
About Ordinary People AR
Min Zaw's Ordinary People (2013) invites you to consider the lives of the everyday man in Myanmar. Beneath its unpretentious simplicity, it begins to intrigue on closer look. So similar are the figures in features and attire that little distinguishes one from another.
Through the AR Effects, learn of the emptying of dreams and aspirations felt by ordinary people, and empathise with the loss of individuality and identity. Make the painting come to life and see how the men follow your gaze, as though surveilling you.
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Min Zaw Face Effect
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Min Zaw Target Tracker
SOE NAING
In an arena dominated by figurative paintings, Soe Naing (b. 1961, Yangon) is the rare artist working in abstract expressionism. The artist has worked in this stylistic vein since the late 1990s. One of the country's most well-travelled artists, Soe Naing was part of a Southeast Asian contemporary art exhibition organised by Singapore Art Museum that travelled to Europe and Japan between the late 1990s and early 2000s.
DANCE
2011, Acrylic on Canvas
61 x 91.5 cm
About Dance AR
Soe Naing’s Dance (2011) captures the freedom of abstract expressionism. He gravitated towards this art style, breaking free from a repressive art education where he learned to draw representational forms as outlined in a regimented syllabus. In this painting, he starts by drawing lines and then adding colours with broad brushstrokes.
Through the AR Target Tracker, witness Soe Naing’s creative process in reverse, revealing a figure in dance. Try out the AR Face Effect to find yourself in an abstract painting, and snap a photo or video to share with your friends.
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Soe Naing Face Effect
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Soe Naing Target Tracker
ZWE MON
Zwe Mon (b. 1990, Yangon) has been practicing art both full- and part-time since graduating from Yangon's State School of Fine Arts in 2009. She is the only female artist in the Thukhuma Collection at Singapore Management University. Her paintings are characterised by an experimentation with textures. She contrasts or harmonises the treatment of the paint with the subject of her paintings which often touches on social and political issues, including the theme of education, protest, or the lives of the hard-working poor.
UNTITLED
2013, Acrylic on Canvas
91.5cm x 122.0 cm
About Untitled AR
Zwe Mon’s Untitled (2013) painting belongs to a signature series of portraits in which the female figure is consistently repeated in pose, gesture and traditional attire, representing both herself and Burmese women. We invite you to explore how the artist reclaimed traditional symbols, sending an empowering message of women in Myanmar. Zwe Mon has painted the woman a halo, challenging prevailing beliefs that women cannot achieve enlightenment. Similarly, she painted a mole under the eye, commonly believed to bring bad luck, to represent a woman in control of her fate.
Try out the Target Tracker to learn about the symbolic elements in the painting, and explore the Face Effect to transform yourself with the thick, bold strokes characteristic of this series of portraits.
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Zwe Mon Face Effect
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Zwe Mon Target Tracker
PROGRAMMING
PHYSICAL SHOWCASE
The artworks by Min Zaw, Soe Naing and Zwe Mon as well as other Burmese artists from the Thukhuma Collection will be on display at the exhibition Altered States: Painting Myanmar in a Time of Transition.
Come bring the artworks to life before you!
For more information on the exhibition and programmes, go to https://artcollections.smu.edu.sg/.
Free admission for all.
Date: 6 January - 4 February 2023
Venue: SMU de Suantio Gallery
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
For the first time, SMU Libraries and The MeshMinds Foundation present an art x tech programme that explores the powerful potential of Augmented Reality (AR) art to share culture, narrate experiences and create connections. Join us at this panel discussion to hear from experts and practitioners working in the intersections of art, culture, history, and tech, with a particular focus on Myanmar and the Thukhuma Collection from which three artworks was transformed into AR art.
This virtual event is free of charge.
Date: 19 January 2023
Time: 5-6pm
CREATE YOUR OWN AR EXPERIENCE
Storytelling through AR is an introductory workshop by The MeshMinds Foundation where participants will learn how digital storytelling and augmented reality (AR) is used for art, culture and heritage. You will be guided on how to use Meta Spark Studio, one of the world’s leading AR platforms, to create your first AR effect.
This event is open to the SMU Community only.
Date: 27 January 2023
Time: 4 - 5:30pm
Venue: Li Ka Shing Library Level 5, Learning Lab 1
The Thukhuma Collection is the largest collection of contemporary Burmese art. Professor Ian Holliday, a specialist in Burmese politics and currently Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) at the University of Hong Kong, began to assemble it more than a decade ago while undertaking academic research in Myanmar. Hence, most of the paintings date from the transitional decade of the 2010s and present multiple artistic perspectives on a society in reform. A selection of over 70 paintings by 35 artists from the collection are on loan to Singapore Management University courtesy of Professor Ian Holliday and can be viewed at the School of Social Sciences and Li Ka Shing Library. To learn more about the Thukhuma Collection, visit the website at http://thukhuma.org/.
The SMU Art Collection is an integral part of the cultural and intellectual life on Singapore Management University’s campus. The Collection enlivens the city campus and enhances the educational experience by encouraging lively discourse on aesthetics, culture and history. The Collection comprises over 300 artworks in the university's permanent collection and loan collections, many of which are on long-term display. With its mix of Singapore, Southeast Asia, and international modern and contemporary artworks, the Collection reflects SMU’s vision as a global-city university in Asia. Find out more about the Collection and its associated programmes at https://artcollections.smu.edu.sg/.
The MeshMinds Foundation is a registered not-for-profit arts organisation focused on empowering artists in Asia to advance the sustainable development of people and our planet.
The MeshMinds Foundation is supported by its sister organisation, MeshMinds, a creative technology studio partnered with the United Nations Environment Programme. MeshMinds specialises in harnessing immersive and interactive technology, such as virtual, augmented and mixed reality, to maximise engagement, empathy and action towards the Sustainable Development Goals.