Ma Charm & Aye Mya

To be completely honest, I am not quite well-versed in Myanmar's art scene. I know a few artists who are great at realism, and that's about it.

When I saw Ma Charm's exhibition announcement on my social media feed, I knew I had to go there and see it in person after seeing the previews. It is not always that I see someone who draws in a style that is drastically different from others in the same field. It is also refreshing. 

As luck may have it, I had a chance to go and see Ma Charm's Aye Mya exhibition and also to interview her personally due to an assignment set by an online magazine I am writing for, which I cannot be happier about. 

Before I introduce you to Aye Mya, the main character of the entire exhibition, I think it will only be logical to explain about the girls from Myanmar's central region, or Upper Myanmar like how other Myanmar would call it. On a side note, yes the country and the people are both called Myanmar, not Myanmar and Myanmese. Even though I hate to admit it, there is a stereotype that girls from Upper Myanmar are more traditional, has tanned skin, adores tha-na-kha, enjoys wearing jewellery made out of gold, and are more inclined to adhere to traditional values of what, and how a woman should be. There is also a stereotype of Lower Myanmar girls too but that's for another day.

Aye Mya is modelled after the grandmother of the artist, Ma Charm. Aye Mya loves to wear traditional prints called cheik, which is considered a luxury since it's made with silk. She loves putting on tha-na-kha , which is a traditional cosmetic paste made out of the tree bark of the same name and water. Tha-na-kha has cooling and soothing properties, in cosmetology term, and also act as a physical sunscreen although the SPF is quite low. Nevertheless, it is the go-to beauty product for most of Myanmar in the country.

 

In an essence, Aye Mya is a real girl, who is regal and bursting with confidence while fulfilling the femininity factor that the society expects to see from a woman as a gender. However, that does not mean that she is a stuck-up individual for she also embrace her fun, relaxed sides, which is portrayed through the picture where she is in a sunflower field with her hair down and flower in hand. She also seems naive, but not ignorant, in a child-like way; the kind who knows of the sins in the world but rather chooses to take no notice of it - a choice to retain a pure mind.

I absolutely loved seeing Aye Mya, firstly because of all the vibrant colours and also because of the style that Ma Charm drew in. It struck a chord with me, and many of other Myanmar youth. That fact also explained why all thirty of her pieces, all exclusively of Aye Mya's portraits, are sold out. It is an impressive feat considering how this exhibition is Ma Charm's first solo exhibition. That kind of success is hard to come by in a country like Myanmar, where most successful artists are mostly male. 

 

With the success of Ma Charm, I hope to see more Myanmar women artist breaking out to express their ideas, views, or anything that they want to put it out there because as a Myanmar woman, I know that women are not highly encouraged to express what, and how they feel, while some of the opinions they put out there are shot down, or sometimes even shunned by others. It is truly devastating to see such things happening, which always make me feel gutted since I believe that it is a person's right to express how and what they feel, without insulting others (However Donald Trump makes it seem like it's okay and that's quite awful. Sometimes, freedom of speech takes things a little too far in the negative direction instead of progressing into the positive side.)

I think I went off-tangent with the ramble up there. Before I wrap up, I hope Ma Charm continues to achieve more success, both local and international. I'd love to see her hosting an exhibition overseas. 

Love Love Love, 

Rosie

P.S. The pictures of the artwork are kindly supplied to me by Gallery 65 under the permission of Ma Charm as a part of their PR package. However, I am not endorsed to write this post as an obligation.