Myanmar: Weapons, colonialism and Buddhist Imagery in Burmese art

Paintings that depict a revolver with lipstick, and a grenade encasing a fetuses is part of a recent exhibit by Burmese artist San Minn, on display at the Suvannabhumi Art Gallery in Chiang Mai. The artist’s ‘weapon’ series is loaded with images that seem to be motivated by a strong sense of anti-violence. According to a review in Irrawaddy Magazine, the painting ‘Equal Reaction’ shows San Minn’s own spiritual influence and Buddhist beliefs - a revolver with two ends pointing in opposite directions, the ultimate visual for karma. San Minn tells journalist Kyaw Zwa Moe that a “lack of modernization was a turning point for our country.” Much of his subject matter juxtaposes this lack of modernity with imagery of British colonialism.

To see more on artist and a slide show of his work:

Explosive art from Burma, The Irrawaddy