ZWE YAN NAING

BIOGRAPHY

Zwe Yan Naing is a highly acclaimed artist born in 1984 in Taunggok, a river town in Rakhine State, Myanmar. He later moved to Yangon to study at the State School of Fine Arts. Zwe Yan Naing is best known for his paintings of a recurring Burmese girl with traditional thanakha on her cheeks—a figure he frequently sees in his dreams and continues to depict in his work. In addition to this signature series, he has created art with strong political and social messages, including a series of political collages made from old currency notes.

Zwe Yan Naing’s work has been showcased in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Myanmar, as well as in international cities such as Brighton, Seattle, Amsterdam, Bangkok, and Hong Kong. Notable exhibitions include To Value Something (2014) at Pansodan Art Scene in Yangon, A Moment Suspended in Time (2016) at Pansodan Art Scene, and Art Revolution Taipei 2017 in Taiwan.

The artist has received several accolades for his work, including the Best Painting of the Year 2014 award from the Tun Foundation Bank in Yangon and the Championship for International Grand Prize Art Competition at the 2017 Art Revolution Taipei (A.R.T.). His pieces are part of prestigious collections, such as the Hong Kong Baptist University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

One of the most significant endorsements of Zwe Yan Naing’s work came from international movie star Jackie Chan, who was so impressed with the artist’s work that he commissioned a portrait of himself, created from Chinese currency notes. This commission further solidified Zwe Yan Naing’s status as a sought-after and accomplished artist. With such high-profile recognition and numerous accolades, Zwe Yan Naing is considered one of the leading artists in Myanmar and beyond.

EXHIBITION HISTORY

Solo Exhibitions:

• 2011: The Myanmar Lady, Pansodan Gallery, Yangon
• 2014: To Value Something, Pansodan Art Scene, Yangon
• 2015: Portraits of Revolutionary, 7th Joint Bar, Yangon
• 2016: A Moment Suspended in Time, Pansodan Art Scene, Yangon
• 2016: Blending Colours in Urban, Gallery 65, Yangon
• 2017: Conceptual Art, Café Innlay, Mandalay

Selected Group Exhibitions:

• 2011: Inside Stories, Brighton Festival, UK
• 2012: The Art Auction, We Women Foundation, Netherlands
• 2012: Contemporary Art from Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam, Vietnam
• 2013: Painting the Transition: Contemporary Art in Myanmar, Hong Kong
• 2013: A Measure of Freedom: Contemporary Painting from Myanmar, Hong Kong
• 2013: Myanmar Faces and Places, Hong Kong
• 2013: Brush Strokes of a Revolution, Mumbai, India
• 2013: Deconstructing Burma Art, Bangkok
• 2014: Painting Myanmar: Ten Perspectives, Hong Kong
• 2014: Banned in Burma: Painting Under Censorship, Hong Kong
• 2014: Workshop on Politics, Business, and Human Rights in Myanmar, Hong Kong
• 2014: Zeitgenössische Kunst, Germany
• 2014: Myanmar Art Crossing, Yone Arts, USA
• 2014: New Freedom for Burmese Artists, USA
• 2015: Prospect Myanmar: Painting a Transitional State, Hong Kong
• 2015: HK Imaging Myanmar in a Time of Transition, Hong Kong
• 2015: The Thukuma Collection: Contemporary Painting for Burma, Singapore
• 2017: Art Revolution Taipei 2017, Taiwan
• 2017: Parasol Art at Leeds, NYC
• 2017: Asia Hotel Art Fair Seoul 2017 (AHAF), Seoul, Korea
• 2018: Myanmar-Korea Contemporary Exchange Exhibition
• 2018: Art Revolution Taipei 2018, Taiwan

COLLECTIONS

• 2012: Art in Focus: Aung San Suu Kyi
• 2014: Painting Myanmar: Ten Perspectives on a Changing Country, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
• 2014: A Measure of Freedom, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
• 2015: The Myanmar Golden Land, Linden Museum of Stuttgart, Germany

AWARDS

• 2014: Best Painting of the Year, Tun Foundation Bank, Yangon, Myanmar
• 2017: Championship for International Grand Prize Art Competition, Art Revolution Taipei (A.R.T.), Taiwan