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Sawangwongse Yawnghwe Was Born in Shan State, Myanmar (Formally Burma)

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Sawangwongse Yawnghwe Was Born in Shan State, Myanmar (Formally Burma) ! ART BASEL OVR:Portals 16 – 19 June 2021 ! ! SAWANGWONGSE YAWNGHWE Sawangwongse Yawnghwe was born in Shan State, Myanmar (formally Burma). Myanmar is the third-largest country in Southeast Asia with an ongoing political turmoil since the military junta took on 1st February 2021. Yawnghwe is the grandson of the first elected president of the Union of Burma and the last monarch of Yawnghwe. His family was forced to seek refuge in Thailand after the military intervention in 1962, during which his grandfather and uncle were killed. Yawnghwe's father was part of the Shan State Army, which was founded by his grandmother in the jungle near the border of Thailand to resist Myanmar's military government in Shan State. State violence against minorities in Myanmar, which was behind the family's struggle and forced exile, continues to this day, as the government of Myanmar denies citizenship to the Rohingya Muslim community. Today, the current situation in Myanmar is under the control of the military junta. In his series of paintings presented at Art Basel OVR: Portal 2021, Yawnghwe portrays the current political situation in Myanmar and the historic images of the Yawnghwe aristocratic family. In his latest works, Yawnghwe has chosen to divide his canvas into two parts, one portraying various patterns of the traditional textile of Myanmar the other portraying figurative images of Shan State aristocracy. These textiles are still worn across Myanmar ! ART BASEL OVR:Portals 16 – 19 June 2021 ! ! in today's modern world. The subject of his works is based on the idea of a regional superstition which is believed that it is extremely bad luck to be beneath women’s lower garment: in this case a sarong type garment called “Longyi”. Recently, the protestors were seen hanging longyis in hope of shielding themselves from the approaching army. Louisa Benson (Turquoise, 2021) and Miss Burma (Blue and red oxide, 2021) depict a Burmese born woman of Karen tribe origin who was selected twice as a beauty pageant winner. She became Miss Burma twice in 1956 and 1958. Yawnghwe presents her as an iconic woman in Myanmar history, not only famous for her beauty but also her courage as a fighter against the Burmese force in 1967. The Protest I and Protest II, depict the violence that continues in Myanmar to this present day. In Angel (2021), Yawnghwe portrays the heroic innocence of Kyal Sin, known as Angel was a 19-year-old female taekwondo instructor and champion who was shot dead by the military on 4th March 2021 in Mandalay. She was last seen leading the group of young protestors. During the 1950s, under British rule, U Nu and U Thant met with President Dwight Eisenhower in Washington DC. They also met Alfred Hitchcock on the set of his movie "The Man Who Knew Too Much". In U Nu at a Hitchcock's film set- The Man Who Knew Too Much, 2021, Yawnghwe portrays a historical scene of the Burma-US diplomatic relation. The Burmese government was then trying to pursue a neutral foreign policy. Relations with the US had become strained as a result of American support for ! ART BASEL OVR:Portals 16 – 19 June 2021 ! ! Kuomintang forces in the eastern Shan states, and in 1953 Burma had terminated all US aid. The trip was in part to show that it was not siding with the Communist bloc, as some in the West were fearing. Kengtung is a town in Shan State, Myanmar. It is known to be one of the safest places in the country. Sao Noot And Sao Noom of Kengtung, 2021 depicts the two royal sisters of Kengtung. The scene is a ceremony where ears were pierced to signify coming of age. In this body of works, the artist wanted to archive the history of Shan state- his home town and the sense of belonging in one's country. "The painting is a western representation of eastern art. The tribal textile is, in a way, like a Frank Stella's painting. Existing and available archives cannot reveal a nation's entire truth", said Yawnghwe. .
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