Pleased to meet you, hope you guessed my name

With a name derived from the Rolling Stones’ popular song, “Sympathy for the Devil,” the “Pleased to Meet You” is a social commentary on the changes that took place in Myanmar due to the decades-long civil war. Civilians in Myanmar protested against the rising violence in the country. Unfortunately, not all received the call of nationalism.

Since the turmoil and violence in 2010, many businessmen, decorated soldiers and veterans, prominent farm owners etc., latched onto the militia's rising power to secure their own positions, wealth and lives. They obtained positions of high rank in the militant Government.

In this painting, we see a person in a traditional Burmese working man’s garb. He is holding a glass of expensive whiskey and standing against a backdrop of the beautiful Burmese farmlands and mountains. The stark contrast between the person’s clothing and their attitude is indicative of the sudden transformation of members of the general public into cronies of the Government. The face of the individual has deliberately been left un-identifiable and blurred – symbolic of how friends became unrecognisable when gifted with power over their fellow people.

Bart Was Not Here / Kyaw Moe Khine (b. 1996)

Imageries full of escapism and dry humour, Bart's artworks on or off the walls are a mix of text and image juxtaposing Burmese and imported cultural norms inspired by Hieronymous Bosch, Frank Stella, and Louise Nevelson. His visuals have been described to be “what goes on inside the bottle that a Djinn (Genie) lives” from Islamic mythology. His humour can be fully appreciate alongside with a riddled punchline commentary about the social situation in Myanmar, the immigrant experience, and things he finds mind-bending.

Grew up in Myanmar, an authoritarian country, Bart was frustrated by a corrupted school system, a strict religion, and the inability to assimilate into the traditional Burmese culture. Access to American Pop Culture such as Hip Hop through movies, cartoons, comic books, novels and magazines found in Burmese bootleg markets provided him a lens to the alternative outside world. Since acquainting with graffiti in his 8th grade, he started practicing under the moniker "Bart Was Not Here" after the character in “The Simpsons”, alluding to the tongue-in-cheek quality in his artworks.

Bart graduated from Lasalle College of the Arts as a Fine Arts major in 2018. In May of 2019, Since his first solo exhibition ‘God Complex’ at Myanm/art gallery, he has done a number of freelance collaborations with major brands like AIA, Bosch, Tiger Beer, etc. He is an artist-in-residence at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, France for 2021-2022.

Based on our agreement with the artist, 15% of the pre-VAT price excluding frames will be donated to support the social movement. Donation will be given to Healing Hands.