Aung Kyaw Htet 1965 | Birmania

Aung Kyaw Htet paints the faces of monks and nuns in great detail to show their humanity. This is in contradiction to most Burmese artists who usually omit facial details to focus on monks as symbols of religion rather than as human individuals. Aung Kyaw Htet's use of bright colours is attractive and draws the viewer's attention to the serenity in the paintings. He has participated in several exhibitions in Burma, Thailand - 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008, Singapore -2003, 2008, Hong Kong -2003, 2004, Taiwan 2006, and his works are in the permanent collections of the National Art Gallery of Malaysia and the National Museum of Myanmar, Burma.

Aung Kyaw Htet was born in 1965 in Myaungmya and studied at the State School of Fine Arts in Rangoon. He is a devout Buddhist and grew up in a small village, two factors which have a strong influence on his art. Information about Buddhism in Burma can be found at dhammaweb.net. His paintings of religious life in Burma show monks and nuns in a realistic manner, though non-essential objects are omitted from the paintings in order to draw attention to the individuals.