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KÁLMÁN Borbála A SITE FOR MINDFUL (RE)DEFINITION: THE INDEPENDENT CONTEMPORARY ART SCENE OF MYANMAR MA Thesis in Cultural Heritage Studies: Academic Research, Policy, Management. CEU eTD Collection Central European University Budapest June 2017 A SITE FOR MINDFUL (RE)DEFINITION: THE INDEPENDENT CONTEMPORARY ART SCENE OF MYANMAR by KÁLMÁN Borbála (Hungary) Thesis submitted to the Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Arts degree in Cultural Heritage Studies: Academic Research, Policy, Management. Accepted in conformance with the standards of the CEU. ____________________________________________ Chair, Examination Committee ____________________________________________ Thesis Supervisor ____________________________________________ Examiner CEU eTD Collection ____________________________________________ Examiner Budapest June 2017 A SITE FOR MINDFUL (RE)DEFINITION: THE INDEPENDENT CONTEMPORARY ART SCENE OF MYANMAR by KÁLMÁN Borbála (Hungary) Thesis submitted to the Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Arts degree in Cultural Heritage Studies: Academic Research, Policy, Management. Accepted in conformance with the standards of the CEU. ____________________________________________ External Reader CEU eTD Collection Budapest June 2017 A SITE FOR MINDFUL (RE)DEFINITION: THE INDEPENDENT CONTEMPORARY ART SCENE OF MYANMAR by KÁLMÁN Borbála (Hungary) Thesis submitted to the Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Arts degree in Cultural Heritage Studies: Academic Research, Policy, Management. Accepted in conformance with the standards of the CEU. ____________________________________________ External Supervisor CEU eTD Collection Budapest June 2017 I, the undersigned, Kálmán Borbála, candidate for the MA degree in Cultural Heritage Studies: Academic Research, Policy, Management declare herewith that the present thesis is exclusively my own work, based on my research and only such external information as properly credited in notes and bibliography. I declare that no unidentified and illegitimate use was made of the work of others, and no part of the thesis infringes on any person’s or institution’s copyright. I also declare that no part of the thesis has been submitted in this form to any other institution of higher education for an academic degree. Budapest, 29 May 2017 __________________________ Signature CEU eTD Collection Abstract The cultural sphere in Myanmar was for the past decades dominated by a rigid official discourse, still carved today, during a transitional period, in its unchanged, immobile institutional frame. Not only it is problematic being based on a former military regime’s formulation, but it also lacks entire narrative layers, such as a definite artistic segment of the recent past. This absence uncovers the depth to which an intellectual imprint of a whole era has been blocked by censorship from accessing general awareness. Myanmar’s current independent contemporary art scene developed underground on its own, rooted in this absent segment, and created an autonomous system to operate in. Through its artistic practices and infrastructure, it represents a genuine agenda coherent with the intrinsic cultural frame and context of Myanmar. The alternative discourse enabled by the scene, being a flexible, and inclusive site, is crucial for free expression, for building curiosity, but also for creating an open dialogue within society’s diversity and for allowing narratives, that were consciously or unintentionally deleted by the official discourse, to (re)surface. The study reflects a hypothesis which understands the independent contemporary art scene as a mindful site enabling an alternative discourse within society and which contributes to the (re)definition and (re)access of absent artistic, and so cultural narratives, as well as to the maintaining of the art scene’s integrity and continuity. As a result of the research, a mechanism of smart practices based on existing projects is offered as a reading tool for the site, also containing some specific suggestions for CEU eTD Collection potential further development. i Acknowledgements I would like to thank first professor Alexandra Kowalski of the department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, CEU for accepting to be the supervisor of the thesis, and for her patience regarding the unexpected turns of the research. I would also like to thank professor Zsuzsanna Renner and professor Sanjay Kumar from CEU for their advices regarding the nuances of the research. I wish to thank János Jelen’s guidance along the study’s unfolding, and his contribution to my deeper understanding of Southeast Asia. I am obliged to Nathalie Johnston for her generosity in sharing her knowledge about the Myanmar art scene and her unconditional help. My deep gratitude goes to Aung Soe Min and Nance Cunnigham for their continual support, even from long distance. I would like also to thank all the artists who helped my fieldwork and answered my never-ending questions, and who allowed me to learn about their substantial work. I would like to specially thank Mrat Lunn Htwann for the vision he has, and Flux Kit to have allowed me a special insight into the scene. My gratitude goes also to Franz Xaver Augustin for his tireless and inspiring commitment. Finally, I wish to thank Julia Fabényi and Krisztina Szipőcs for their collegial support all along the research. The Survey conducted within the research was partially sponsored by Central European University CEU eTD Collection Foundation, Budapest (CEUBPF). The theses explained herein are representing the own ideas of the author, but not necessarily reflect the opinion of CEUBPF. ii Table of contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter I - Superimposed Discourses ............................................................................................. 9 A. An Authorized Narrative.................................................................................................... 11 1. An Official Narrative for Culture ............................................................................... 12 2. From an Educational Point of View ........................................................................... 22 B. An Absent Segment of Art ................................................................................................. 24 C. The Unexamined Past – Lapsed Layers ............................................................................. 31 1. Peeling Layers Off – Where Does it Lead? ................................................................ 32 2. Past as Embedded in Social Practices ......................................................................... 37 Chapter II - An Intrinsic Site Shapes Out ..................................................................................... 42 A. Framing the Scene.............................................................................................................. 43 1. Footnotes to a “Definition” ......................................................................................... 43 2. Brick by Brick ............................................................................................................ 47 B. A Mindful Platform............................................................................................................ 58 CEU eTD Collection C. Initiatives Beyond the Comfort Zone ................................................................................ 63 D. From New Tradition to Curiosity – A Short Survey of the Scene ................................. 67 Chapter III – “Written Photograph” of a Mechanism ................................................................... 69 iii A. Back to Reality ................................................................................................................... 72 1. A Lukewarm Breeze ................................................................................................... 72 2. Intertwined Areas ....................................................................................................... 77 B. A Reading Tool for the Present ......................................................................................... 83 1. Short Method-Frames ................................................................................................. 83 2. A Mechanism of Smart Practices ............................................................................... 86 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 98 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... 103 Glossary ...................................................................................................................................... 109 Appendices .................................................................................................................................. 118 APPENDIX 1 // The Survey .................................................................................................. 118 1. Complement of Chapter II. D.

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