Phyu Mon

In a conservative society where most artists come from families of means, it is rare to meet female artists, particularly women artists working within contemporary performance arts.  We were thus fortunate to meet Phyu Mon, a thoughtful and introverted women living on the outskirts of Mandalay.  Phyu Mon's name means white and noble, and her gentle personality and dedication to her art make for an apt compliment to her name.

A multi-faceted artist, Mon also paints and writes poetry besides her more recent interests in performance art.  In addition to performing locally, she was invited twice to perform at the Nippon International Performance Art Festival in Japan.  At the festival she had the opportunity to meet other women performers from Asia as well as Latin America.  It is this broad kind of trans-national exposure that will help the women of Myamar to further explore contemporary arts.

This work includes computer graphics, paint overlays and a poem written in ink:  "Standing by the window looking through the blurred scene, I could see the horizon covered with tear drops and also hear the echo from the blue sea."

untitled, 2002

15" x 9", mixed media on paper

Amit May collection