5 Cultural Producers Shaping Myanmar’s Creative Landscape

In an age of globalisation, the contemporary art practices of Myanmar have developed largely in isolation, cautiously overcoming strict censorship laws to birth distinctive and nuanced bodies of work laden with self-reflection. Having existed in isolation from 1962 to 2011, the country is steeped in Buddhist belief, which unsurprisingly permeates its way into the creative outputs of the nation. The country’s visual arts, literature and music often relates to Buddhism and Myanmar’s complex socio-political standing. Following a brief stint of openness, most recently, since early 2021, Myanmar has faced unrest once more, following Burmese army general Min Aung Hlaing seizing control of the government in a military coup, denying the landslide election victory of the National League for Democracy and its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Reacting to internet outages, stifling military presence, violence and arrests, Myanmar’s creatives are using their voices more than ever to reach the world.