Galleries

Lim Khim Katy (Vietnam) : Lim Khim Katy Born in Vietnam’s southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City in 1978, Lim Khim Katy is the daughter of a Cambodian father and a Vietnamese mother, both of them artists. “My inheritance includes a love of colour, a familiarity with brushes and an attraction to shapes from the time I first became conscious of the sun and the moon.” She draws her inspirations from life experience and interactions with ordinary people, many of who have endured hardship and suffering. “My paintings come from the feelings generated from the life around me, from people’s eyes, gestures and the individual emotions they express. I prefer watching the emotions that are expressed on the faces of people who have endured difficulties, because there are so many of them in Vietnam,” she says. “Whenever I experience ‘artist’s block’ I travel and observe people and it’s the best inspiration I could ask for in my work.” Capturing a person’s eyes is what is most important for Katy. For her, eyes are the gateway to the soul. “When I look into people’s eyes I think I can understand them and relate to their stories.” Katy’s paintings of nostalgic village homes or colourful landscapes express both strong emotion and great tranquility and compliment her often melancholic portraits. Click here to view the artist's biography

Lim Khim Katy (Vietnam)

Lim Khim Katy Born in Vietnam’s southern co ...

Updated: May 13, 2013 8:49am PST

Vu Thu Hien (Vietnam) : Vu Thu Hien Vu Thu Hien’s watercolours are delicate, dreamlike, and at times haunting. Many of her paintings refer to the soul, to spirits and the afterlife. Her traditionally clothed figures are mysterious and real at the same time and are often embodiments of the spirits that influence human lives. Hien paints on dzo paper, made from mulberry bark, which is fragile and durable at the same time. Used by Vietnam’s ethnic minorities for altar paintings or inscribing Buddhist sutras, it is the perfect medium for Hien’s deeply spiritual art. Vu Thu Hien was born in Bat Trang village near Hanoi in 1970. She has won a number of Vietnamese art awards and has exhibited her work in Vietnam, the United States, Thailand, the Netherlands, Italy, Israel and England. Click here to view the artist's biography

Vu Thu Hien (Vietnam)

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Updated: May 13, 2013 8:27am PST

YIM Maline (Cambodia) : Yim Maline Given the range of media that she has employed and the intellectual heft to her work, it is indeed surprising that Khmer artist Yim Maline (Siem Reap, Cambodia) is only 30 years of age. Already, she has had solo exhibitions in France, Cambodia and New Year which have variously featured intricate installations, video art, drawings, paintings and sculptures. No doubt Yim’s confidence and versatility are due in part to her studies at very reputable art institutions in both Cambodia and France. She spent 8 years at the now-legendary Phare Ponleu Selpak Art School in Battambang, Cambodia, her birthplace. From there she moved to France and over a 5 year period obtained her BA Fine Art - Diplôme National Arts Plastique (DNAP option Art) from the École Supérieure des Beaux-arts de Caen la mer, France. In this exhibition are 4 meticulously drawn graphite-on-paper drawings from 2010 and 2012. The two pieces from the “Scar” series are arresting – full of organic energy, pressure and movement. In two other pieces, Yim creates vivid and, at times, unsettling portrayals of childhood memories and feelings. Click here to view the artist's biography

YIM Maline (Cambodia)

Yim Maline Given the r ...

Updated: May 13, 2013 8:18am PST

ImaginAsian May : ImaginAsian Exhibition Dates: May 15 - June 9, 2013 Open daily from 9 am to 11 pm Location: 334 Dundas Street West, Toronto (across from Art Gallery of Ontario) Opening Reception: Wed. May 15, 5-8pm About the show: ImaginAsian showcases the very distinctive styles of 3 leading female artists from Southeast Asia. Returning Vietnamese artist LIM Khim Katy’s latest figurative work was inspired by the challenges facing young Saigonese women in a rapidly changing society. Using a well-honed impasto technique, she balances fine rendering with bright, painterly flourishes. And her two new landscapes are classic examples of the rich, unconventional palette which she had become known for. Given the range of media that she has employed and the intellectual heft to her work, it is indeed surprising that Khmer artist YIM Maline (Siem Reap, Cambodia) is only 30 years of age. Already, she has had solo exhibitions in France, Cambodia and New Year which have variously featured intricate installations, video art, drawings, paintings and sculptures. In this exhibition are 4 meticulously drawn graphite-on-paper drawings from 2010 and 2012. The two pieces from the “Scar” series are arresting – full of organic energy, pressure and movement. In two other pieces, Yim creates vivid and, at times, unsettling portrayals of childhood memories and feelings. The 4 new watercolours by returning artist VU Thu Hien (Hanoi, Vietnam) are delicate and dreamlike - as if a spiritual calm was manifested externally, into the environment and onto the faces of the people. The spiritual component of her work is further reinforced by the inclusion of traditional icons of Asian art, such as the lotus flower, and through the use of handmade paper (Dzo paper) which is normally reserved for sacred scrolls. LIM Khim Katy

ImaginAsian May

ImaginAsian Exhibition Dates: May 15 - June 9, 2013 ...

Updated: May 13, 2013 8:13am PST

The Past is Present, April 4 - May 5, 2013 : The Past Is Present Ngo Van Sac Solo Exhibition Exhibition Dates: April 4 – May 5, 2013 Open daily from 9 am to 11 pm Location: 334 Dundas Street West, Toronto (across from Art Gallery of Ontario) Opening Reception: Saturday, April 6, 3 – 6 pm About the show: Vietnam’s rich and complex past continues to define its present - from politics to arts and everyday life. From colonial images and government-promoted representations of an idealized history to the stories people tell each other in coffee shops, the past is captured, re-imagined and re-contextualized. Ngo Van Sac, winner of Vietnam’s 2012 Dogma national portrait competition, explores the theme of temporal overlap from a variety of compelling perspectives. His wood-engravings and –burnings, paintings and collages evocatively capture the paradox of a country rushing to modernize while at the same time holding fast to images of the past. Ancient faces in traditional clothing are juxtaposed with collages of today’s newspaper headlines, while men in a traditional coffee shop are seen chatting idly in front of a wall with graffiti-like advertisements. Ngo Van Sac CV

The Past is Present, April 4 - May 5, 2013

The Past Is Present Ngo Van Sac Solo Exhibition E ...

Updated: Mar 25, 2013 3:48pm PST

Nguyen Minh Thanh Solo Exhibition, February 28 - March 30, 2013 : Tôi - Me - Moi Nguyễn Minh Thành Solo Exhibition Exhibition Dates: February 28 – March 30, 2013 334 Dundas Street West, Toronto (across from AGO) Open daily from 9 am to 11 pm Opening Reception: Saturday March 2, 2 – 5 pm Nguyễn Minh Thành first broke onto the Hanoi art scene in the mid-1990s, garnering critical attention for his paintings, installations and performance art. Now, after 32 overseas exhibitions in 18 countries, he has established his reputation as one of the leading artists working in Vietnam today. In this exhibition, Thành utilizes the self-portrait as a vehicle to examine both personal and universal concepts of identity, spirituality and connectedness. The compositions place the individual at the centre of the picture and as the source of lush, enveloping vegetation. Earth-tones and muted pastel colours further anchor these works in a natural and contemplative sphere. Read more about Nguyen Minh Thanh

Nguyen Minh Thanh Solo Exhibition, February 28 - March 30, 2013

Tôi - Me - Moi Nguyễn Minh Thành Solo Exhibition E ...

Updated: Mar 03, 2013 6:38pm PST

Nguyen Minh Thanh (Vietnam) : Nguyen Minh Thanh Nguyen Minh Thanh broke onto the Hanoi art scene in the mid-1990’s with early success in painting, installation and performance art. His three installations, “One Road”, “Rice Field” and “I don’t trust anyone” were exhibited in England and at the South Korean Gwangju Biennale in 1999 while his paintings have been featured at a variety of international exhibitions including at Fukuoka Asian Art Museum and at the Asian Pacific Triennial in Brisbane Australia. In the Hanoi Dreams exhibition we see three recent examples of Thanh’s signature work – the portrait. Using Chinese ink and watercolour on traditional Vietnamese Dzo paper, Thanh utilizes his own image in an exploration of his evolving self-concept. These poetic and philosophical images simultaneously convey the simplicity and complexity of human identity. The sparse colour palette and composition combine to convey a sense of peace and calm along with the inherent inner beauty of the individual. “I believe that inside of each person there is real and perfect beauty – we cannot see it but we feel it,” he says. “I would like to remind people that beneath our mind there is peace and from there, everything will begin.” Click here to view the artist's biography

Nguyen Minh Thanh (Vietnam)

Saw Lin Aung (Burma) : Saw Lin Aung “My preferred style is realism – the accurate depiction of nature combined with lively, saturated colours - puts the viewer into a state of deep concentration I believe.” Saw Lin Aung is one of Myanmar’s most exciting emerging artists. Born in 1982, he graduated from the State School of Fine Art in 2004. Since then his polished, luminous works have been sought by collectors from all around the world. In addition to exhibitions in Yangon, he has participated in several group shows of Myanmar art abroad, in New York, Princeton and Hong Kong. Saw Lin Aung says: “I like to use fresh, calm colors and strong lines in my paintings. My favourite color in nature is the color of the sky when the sun rises. Also, I love to paint water; clean water gives us a feeling of freshness. The reflection of objects and clouds in the water inspire me deeply, so most of my paintings are concerned with calm water that reflects whatever is around and above it. The colors in my paintings are a combination of hues from nature and from my imagination. Among all colors, I like blue the best. I paint subjects and objects which are really beautiful to me. I want to share this beauty with people. Before I create the painting, I picture in my mind on the canvas all the subjects I want to depict, trying to give them a harmonious arrangement. It is very important to me that the painting has a pleasing unity when it is finished.” The photo-realism of Saw Lin Aung takes the breath away. His unrivalled talent at depicting the surface of water with all its reflections conveys a sense of utter tranquility to his works. The intense colors of his tropical palette transport us to the Myanmar countryside, the source of his inspiration. Click here to view the artist's biography

Saw Lin Aung (Burma)

Yan Naing Tun (Burma) : Yan Naing Tun “I use monochromatic colouring to give the audience fresh ideas. The texture supports the subjects and backgrounds and the figures are distorted, which aims to let people see a different reality. I want people to feel a sense of peace, calm, stability and tranquility. Even though I am showing scenes from everyday life … I want my paintings to show how we are always waiting - for something.” Yan Naing Tun was born in 1979, the third son in his family, and brought up in a small fishing village. After finishing high school, he moved to Yangon and entered the University of Culture in 1998, earning a B.A (Painting) degree in 2002. Now he is living in Yangon working as a professional artist. He participated in his first group show in Yangon in 2004 and since then he has been involved in a series of exhibitions in Burma. He gained ‘Special Prize’ for the best of the year in Myanmar’s annual Tun Foundation Art Competition in 2009. This current monochrome series has resonated with collectors from around the world, with its poignant scenes from everyday life in Yangon. The works capture people in the most humdrum circumstances – in the teashop, at the bus-stop, waiting at the hospital. Yan Naing Tun’s artistic imagination subtly alters this reality, rendering it in monochrome, which banishes the banal and makes us look at these everyday scenes afresh. During the last nine months as Burma has started to reform and liberalize, Yan Naing Tun has added color to some of his artworks. He also features newspapers – either as background collages or depicted realistically with his characters reading them during their everyday life. He says he fells that ordinary people are deeply interested in the news these days, avid to read how change is coming to Burma. Click here to view the artist's biography

Yan Naing Tun (Burma)

Nann Nann (Burma) : Hnin Yin Nwe (Nann Nann) While Nann Nann’s work, like that of many Burmese contemporary artists, is deeply influenced by Buddhism, her style is unique. She expresses her feelings about religion and spirituality in a series of elegant, abstract paintings that are visually striking because of her incorporation of gold leaf. These creations are her homage to the devotional aspect of Buddhism, whereby offerings are made by sticking squares of gold leaf onto pagodas and Buddha images. The slim white crescent that can be seen in some of the works represents her meditation seat, where she spends time meditating most days. The individual squares of gold leaf have a metaphorical significance, representing individual acts of merit, which are either being collected in some vessel or are flowing from one place to another. Having used gold leaf in her art practice for many years, Nann Nann has learnt that each square has a specific place and position in the composition. Each work has a precise number of squares – one more or one less destroys the balance and harmony of the work. Just as the devotee gains a sense of well-being and calm from making their gold leaf offerings at the pagoda, so Nann Nann enjoys those sensations once she has completed an artwork. Of her work Nann Nann says, “We Buddhists try to do small good deeds every day, believing they will build up to something big. In my work, I try to show the energy that comes when those tiny good things are collected together.” Nann Nann is also inspired by the humble pot. She has always appreciated both the beauty and function of pots, finding a trip to Japan where the ceramic art is highly developed, a revelatory experience. Many of her paintings feature stylized pots or jars – their beauty and simplicity making a radiant envelope for the gold leaf squares amassed inside. Born to artist parents, Nann Nann studied fine art and sculpture in Burma’s capital Yangon. She has not only had many solo and group shows in Burma but also participated in several art shows in the United States, Thailand and Hong Kong. Next to her career as a professional artist, Nann Nann has always taught art to children. She says “I don’t teach the children, I learn from the children”, and indeed her work often has a child-like simplicity, images stripped down to their bare essentials juxtaposed artfully in support of her narrative. Click here to view the artist's biography

Nann Nann (Burma)

S. Moe Z. (Burma) : S. Moe Z. S. Moe Z. says about the inspiration for his moody works of monks and nuns: “I appreciate the value of light. Because of light, we can feel and see all objects. In my paintings, I always paint darkness in order to appreciate the light. Without light, everything is impossible. The dark in the paintings represents suffocation in this country where most people are trying to survive. There is only a very little hope, which is like a dim flickering light. The main feature of my composition is this contrast between dark and light. The subject of my work - monks and nuns - is almost incidental; I have featured them because the color of their robes goes well with black. I underpaint the canvas black, and then I draw the figures directly. I take pleasure in omitting the shadows and just painting the light against the deep black background. How long I take to finish the paintings depends on my emotion. Sometimes, it takes about two weeks, sometimes about one month.” Click here to view the artist's biography

S. Moe Z. (Burma)

S. Moe Z. S. Moe Z. says about the inspiration for ...

Updated: Jan 06, 2013 11:09am PST

Khin Zaw Latt (Burma) : Khin Zaw Latt Crowd Scenes For a while, I have been working on my 'Moving Forward' series, which are paintings of crowds of people slowly walking forward. I got the idea for these paintings when I went to Dala, a small suburb across the river from Yangon. When I was getting onto the commuter ferry I felt very uncomfortable because I was in a big crowd and everyone was very close. Most of the people in the crowd were street vendors. They have to commute every day and they work hard for the little money they make. When I got to the other side everyone got off the ferry except for me. I stayed behind and I got to witness that crowd from afar. Sometimes a kid who was being carried would turn around and look back at the boat and the crowd of people. In those moments the single child’s face became very vivid. It was beautiful and it helped me escape from my earlier uncomfortable feelings. I could still see the crowd though -- the rhythm of daily life, the struggle and the beauty of it. So now I paint these Moving Forward pictures." Buddha Series Khin Zaw Latt says, “During my training at the University of Culture, I spent time learning about sculpture as well as painting. I liked looking at sculptures of the Buddha’s head, and I also liked to sculpt the Buddha myself. I was looking at an old statue of the Buddha one day, and I saw how the gilding had been partially worn away by time, and by a lot of touching, which gave me the idea to try to paint this effect on canvas. I experimented with making the background Buddha image more or less obscure, and with different arrangement of the floating patches of gold over top. To add texture, and also to depict the repeating nature of Buddhism with the reincarnation, I created the small stamp of the Buddha for the background." Click here to view the artist's biography

Khin Zaw Latt (Burma)

Khin Zaw Latt Crowd Scenes For a while, I have ...

Updated: Jan 06, 2013 11:05am PST

Kyee Myintt Saw (Burma) : Kyee Myintt Saw Light, both natural and artificial, and the resulting shadows are the things that constantly inspire Kyee Myintt Saw’s imagination. Light is his true subject. He explores light in the context of his favorite scene: the market. He paints the market in the blaze of early morning, the fresh palette of tropical colours imparting the energy and bustle of the merchants as they start their day. In recent years, he has explored the nature of the market at night, an entirely different world with its secrets and shadows. These are more somber, reflective works showing the market at night, sometimes after a rain when the puddles catch, fracture and reflect the different colored lights which illuminate the market stalls. While the bustle of the day is over, these night scene paintings still convey a calm exuberance, tempered by an awareness of individuals’ loneliness. In the night series, we can see Kyee Myintt Saw’s complete mastery of impasto work, created by his palette knife. The illuminated areas seem to shiver in the embrace of the multi-hued darkness. Click here to view the artist's biography

Kyee Myintt Saw (Burma)

Kyee Myintt Saw Light, both natural and ...

Updated: Jan 06, 2013 11:02am PST

Identities, October 16 - November 18, 2012 : IDENTITIES Contemporary Art from Cambodia Exhibition Dates: October 16 – November 18, 2012. Open daily from 9 am to 11 pm Location: The East Gallery, 334 Dundas Street West, Toronto (across from the AGO) Opening Reception: Wednesday, October 17, 5.30 – 9 pm Artist Chat PierSath in attendance. Cambodian dancer Leak will perform a piece. Special Events: Saturday, Oct. 20, 11 am - 12.30 pm: Coffee and chat with American-Cambodian artist Chath PierSath at the gallery. Thursday, October 25; 7.30 – 9 pm: Documentary “The Lotus That Went to the Sea” Canadian premiere of documentary about Cambodia’s post genocide art scene. Please click here for more information and to reserve free tickets Thursday, November 1: 7.30 – 9 pm: Author’s Talk – Kim Echlin, author of the novel ‘The Disappeared’ Please click here for more information and to reserve free tickets Saturday, November 3, 3 – 5.30 pm: Joint Event of the East Gallery & the ROM’s Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) 3 pm: Start at the ROM with tour of the ICC’s “Observance and Memorial: Photos from S-21, Cambodia” exhibition 4 pm: Curated tour of “Identities” exhibition at the East Gallery Thursday, November 8: Reel Asian Film Festival event Friday, November 9: Reel Asian Film Festival event About the exhibition The work of the new generation of Cambodian artists, many of whom were born after the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror, is shaped by the country’s traumatic past and the whirlwind changes Cambodia has been undergoing since it has rebranded itself as a modern Southeast Asian economy. In a country where most artists were killed during the genocide and where many cultural artifacts and traditions were destroyed, young artists appear less constrained by tradition and cultural taboos than their counterparts in neighboring countries. The nude photographic self-portraits of Heng Ravuth for example, appear almost voyeuristic while Oeur Sokuntevy, one of the few female Cambodian artists, openly addresses sexuality and relationship issues in paintings of herself and her lovers. Hour Seyha draws on his personal experience of having to illegally cross the border into neighboring Thailand as a child laborer to help his impoverished family. Identity is not only how one sees oneself, but also how one sees others. Pen Robit’s portraits of people in traditional Khmer clothing appear to have their faces etched out, while the identity of the seemingly familiar faces in Chath PierSath’s collages has been completely erased. Identities can also change, as in the series of photographs by Chan Moniroth that show a street child morphing into a Cambodian Cinderella.

Identities, October 16 - November 18, 2012

IDENTITIES Contemporary Art from Cambodia Exhibition Dates ...

Updated: Oct 21, 2012 12:48pm PST

Hour Seyha (Cambodia) : Hour Seyha Hour Seya was born in a refugee camp in Thailand but returned to Cambodia as a child. To support his impoverished family, he was forced to drop out of school in grade six and cross the border back into Thailand to do menial jobs, at times illegally – a period that deeply defined him. He hauled logs on rubber plantations and picked pineapples to make ends meets, at one point narrowly escaping arrest by Thai authorities. When he returned home as a homesick, unaccompanied 15-year old, a non-governmental organization helped him go back to school and take art classes in Battambang. His highly emotive paintings in muted reds, yellows and blues are packed full of symbols of his difficult time as a child labourer. Footprints represent wounds, flip flops symbolize slavery while the color red expresses fear. His pictures have titles such as ‘Struggle’ and ‘Hunger’. Click here to view the artist's biography

Hour Seyha (Cambodia)

Chath PierSath (Cambodia) : CHATH PIERSATH Chath PierSath is a Cambodian artist, poet and activist. After discovering that making art helped him to channel his emotions brought about by a childhood under the Khmer Rouge, the self-taught artist has used his paintings, collages and poems to reconnect fractured memories from his past. Over time, Chath’s work has enabled him to make sense of himself and the world around him. His work is the product of a difficult history, a keenly perceptive eye, and a desire for change. In 1980, at the age of ten, Chath fled from his homeland to the United States. In 1994 he returned to Cambodia for the first time and has since been living between his adopted home country and Cambodia, where he works as an artist and social worker. Chath began to paint as a way of exorcising his memory of war and violence. He also uses art to work with people who have been traumatized by war, social inequity and injustice. Chath PierSath avoids directly painting the horrors he remembers from his childhood. Rather, his artistic process, which is guided by personal thoughts and observations, strives to build connections between aspects of his past which were taken away. The message of his work is clear: the story of Cambodia, both past and present, is interlinked, complex and often dark. Chath PierSath is not a painter in the classical sense. The main focus of his production is his own obsessive search for images, with which he aims to reconstruct a past that was violently erased from his personal life. He often paints erasure. PierSath’s unique and new art practice is closer to performance art than classical painting. The resulting works are segments of a greater puzzle which he endlessly attempts to solve, and probably never will. By attempting to create segments of the puzzle, PierSath utilizes mainly images that are created independently from him. He borrows images from news media, advertisements, photo novellas and the Internet. He cuts and pastes these images, and paints and draws his own fragmented memories over them, as well as present-day recordings of his everyday life. The resulting work alludes to further visual fragmentation, instead of completion. The work can never be achieved. In that, it becomes a metaphor for life. Click here to view the artist's biography

Chath PierSath (Cambodia)

CHATH PIERSATH Chath PierSath is a Cambo ...

Updated: Oct 01, 2012 7:30pm PST

Light from the East, September 18 - October 14, 2012 : LIGHT FROM THE EAST Representations of Spirituality in Vietnamese and Burmese Contemporary Art Exhibition Dates: September 18 – October 14, 2012 Open daily from 9 am to 11 pm Location: The East Gallery, 334 Dundas Street West, Toronto (across from the AGO) Opening Reception: Wednesday, September 19, 5.30 pm to 9 pm Special Event: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times Talk about Modern Buddhism:The Path of Compassion and Wisdom by the principal teacher at Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada Friday, October 5, 7.30 - 9 pm Artists: Nann Nann, Khin Zaw Latt, S. Moe Z., Dinh Thi Tham PoongNguyen Kim Quang, Nguyen Minh Thanh, Trinh Quoc Chien,Vu Thu Hien The East Gallery presents eight internationally recognized contemporary artists from Vietnam and Burma who address spirituality in very personal and often unconventional ways. The works range from S. Moe Z.’s boldly colored paintings of Burmese monks and Khin Zaw Latt’s striking Buddha images to Nann Nann’s abstract, meditative reflections about her Buddhist beliefs and Vu Thu Hien’s dreamlike and sometimes haunting watercolors that refer to the soul, to spirits and ancestor worship. Nguyen Kim Quang uses symbols from Buddhism and Taoism in his abstract, striking lacquer creations while Dinh Thi Tham Poong’s intricate watercolors reflect the spiritual relationship between humans and nature.

Light from the East, September 18 - October 14, 2012

LIGHT FROM THE EAST Representations of Spirituality in Vietna ...

Updated: Sep 12, 2012 7:05pm PST

Burma These Days, July 3-September 16, 2012 : BURMA THESE DAYS Exhibition Dates: July 3 - September 16, 2012 Open daily 9 am - 11 pm Location: 334 Dundas Street West, Toronto (across the street from the Art Gallery of Ontario) Opening Reception: Wednesday, July 4, 2012, 6 - 10 pm Artists: Maung Aw Saw Lin Aung Zaw Win Pe Yang Naing Tun Burma these days is undergoing landmark changes. Since pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest in late 2010, one of the world’s most repressive regimes has started to implement long-awaited reforms. Despite repression and decades of isolation, the Burmese art scene has flourished quietly over the years. Since the opening of Burma, the international art world has started to take notice of the small but vibrant contemporary art scene in the Southeast Asian country, also known as Myanmar. Four leading Burmese artists, all based in the capital Yangon, present their latest work in Toronto. Ranging from impressionistic landscapes and photo-realistic waterscapes to atmospheric depictions of every-day life, this survey show illustrates the scope, creativity and technical skill that the Burmese art scene has become renowned for. Burma These Days is the East Gallery’s first exhibition in its new, permanent space at 334 Dundas Street West, Toronto. Testimonial by Ron Hoffmann, the former Canadian ambassador to Burma: "This exhibition - a first of its kind in Canada - offers a glimpse into world of mystery previously shut off to most Canadians. The sheer vibrance and diversity of this quality collection, from some of Burma's most talented and accomplished artists, will tantalize and inspire. No Canadian will see Burma - These Days without wanting to know more about the country's rich social tapestry, stunning vistas and courageous, proud, people. This is an exhibition not to be missed." Special Events: Canadian premiere of the critically acclaimed new documentary "They call it Myanmar" Shot clandestinely over a 2-year period by best-selling U.S. novelist and filmmaker, Robert H. Lieberman, this film provides a rare look at the second-most isolated country on the planet. It lifts the curtain to expose the everyday life in a country that has been held in the iron grip of a brutal military regime for 48 years. Premiere : Thursday, July 12, 2012, 8 pm Seats are limited.Please book free tickets online Second Showing:Tuesday, July 24, 2012, 8 pm Seats are limited.Please book free tickets online

Burma These Days, July 3-September 16, 2012

BURMA THESE DAYS Exhibition Dates: July 3 - Septembe ...

Updated: Jun 19, 2012 7:50pm PST

Anniversary Show, June 6 -21, 2012 : Anniversary Show 15 Southeast Asian Artists Exhibition Dates: June 6 - 21, 2012 Location: Arta Gallery, Distillery District 55 Mill Street, Suite 102, Bldg. 9, Toronto Opening Reception: Thursday, June 7, 6 - 9 pm Gallery opening hours: Mon - Fri: 11 am - 6 pm Sat: 11 am - 7 pm, Sun: 11 am - 5 pm Featuring recent works by 15 emerging and mid-career artists living in Southeast Asia, this group show provides Canadians with a unique window onto the exciting local art scenes of this dynamic region. The East Gallery, Toronto’s only gallery that exclusively focuses on this segment, celebrates its first anniversary with this group show. Artists: Nann Nann, Hoang Phuong Vy, Vu Thu Hien, Dinh Thi Tham Poong, Lim Khim Katy Nguyen Kim Quang, Ha Tri Hieu, Vu Huong Quynh, Ngo Van Sac, Kyee Myintt Saw Khin Zaw Latt, S. Moe Z., Than Kyaw Htay, Nguyen Quang Minh, Pen Robit

Anniversary Show, June 6 -21, 2012

Anniversary Show 15 Southeast Asian Artists Exhibition Da ...

Updated: May 30, 2012 8:15pm PST

Between Fantasy and Reality, May 7 - June 3, 2012 : Between Fantasy And Reality Photography from Cambodia Exhibition Dates: May 7th – June 3rd, 2012 Location: Art Square Gallery, 334 Dundas St. West, Toronto Open daily from 9 am to 11 pm Opening Reception: Wednesday, May 9 2012, 6 - 9 pm Artists: Vandy Rattana Khvay Samnang Lim Sokchanlina Chan Moniroth Heng RavuthKim Hak 'Between Fantasy and Reality' brings together six Cambodian artists who, in different ways, document both the real and imagined transformation of their physical and cultural landscape. All born in the 1980s recovery period after the official fall of the Khmer Rouge, these artists belong to a generation who now make up over 50% of the population today - a generation that has adapted their lifestyles in rapid succession due to such introductions as reliable electricity, televisions, computers, the internet, multi-story malls, escalators, and traffic lights, to name but a few. Raised during such a highly transitional time, as photographers, they are committed to exploring the tensions and documenting change between existing (often ancient) practices currently being altered by various global trends. Their topics and images, as well as the medium of photography itself, in turn provoke new perceptions of Cambodia and thus complicate fact and fiction, fantasy and reality - both for the photographer and the viewer.

Between Fantasy and Reality, May 7 - June 3, 2012

Between Fantasy And Reality Photography from Cambodia ...

Updated: May 07, 2012 10:33am PST

Hoang Phuong Vy (Vietnam) : Hoang Phuong Vy Hoang Phuong Vy, a graduate of Hanoi’s University of Architecture and a member of Vietnam’s Fine Art Association, was born in Hanoi in 1962. His boldly coloured, minimalist oil paintings are reminiscent of Vietnamese folk art and depict scenes of traditional, everyday life – a market scene, for example, or a beautiful spring day. Hoang Phuong Vy’s work evokes feelings of simplicity, purity and playfulness. He has won several Vietnamese art awards and has had exhibitions in Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Japan and the United States. Click here to view the artist's biography

Hoang Phuong Vy (Vietnam)

Half The Sky, February 28 - March 26, 2012 : Half The Sky Five Leading Female Contemporary Artists from Southeast Asia Exhibition Dates: February 28 - March 26, 2012 Location: Art Square Gallery 334 Dundas Street West, Toronto (across from Art Gallery of Ontario) Open daily from 9 am to 11 pm Opening Reception: Wednesday, February 29, 6.30 - 10 pm Burmese artist Nann Nann in attendance Special Events: Fri, March 2, 10:00 - 11:00am: Coffee and Q & A with Burmese artist Nann Nann Saturday, March 3, 11.00 am to 12:00 pm: Coffee and Q & A with Burmese artist Nann Nann Thurs. March 8th; 7:00 - 9:00pm: International Women's Day Talk "Gender at the Crossroads: Women and Culture at the Centre of a Changing Southeast Asia", presented by Nhung Tuyet Tran, UofT Associate Professor & Canada Research Chair of Southeast Asian History Please order free tickets online The East Gallery celebrates International Women’s Day with a group exhibition of leading female contemporary artists from Vietnam, Cambodia and Burma. The title of the show was inspired by the ancient Chinese proverb 'Women hold up half the sky', later used by Mao Zedong during the Chinese revolution to promote the status of women. To be both a female and Asian artist represents a double challenge for these unconventional visionaries, coming from traditional societies and breaking into the male and western-dominated art world. And yet, despite these challenges, each of these artists has been able to develop their own unique style and thematic perspective - from the social realism of Lim Khim Katy to the conceptual spiritual meditations of Nann Nann. Burmese artist Nann Nann will join us for the opening reception and various events during the show. Artists: Nann Nann (Burma) Lim Khim Katy (Vietnam) Vu Thu Hien (Vietnam) Dinh Thi Tham Poong(Vietnam)Oeur Sokuntevy (Cambodia)

Half The Sky, February 28 - March 26, 2012

Oeur Sokuntevy (Cambodia) : Oeur Sokuntevy Oeur Sokuntevy, also known as Tevy, is one of the most established contemporary artists in Cambodia. By advocating self-expression and individuality, the young woman challenges traditional Cambodian notions of the role of women in society, as well as the traditional relationship between men and women. “I don’t want to follow rules”, she says. Her art is an impassioned exploration to determine her place as an independent woman and artist in modern Cambodian society. The outspoken artist often tests the limits of what is acceptable in her conservative, Buddhist home country, by touching on issues such as sexuality. For Tevy, sexuality and family are the cornerstones of ‘female identity’. Many of her candid, explicit works are inspired by her own experiences. While her subject matter is highly individual and bold, her paintings - mainly acrylic on paper - use elements found in traditional Cambodian folk art. Click here to view the artist's biography

Oeur Sokuntevy (Cambodia)

Oeur Sokuntevy Oeur Sokuntevy, also k ...

Updated: Feb 06, 2012 6:54pm PST

Nguyen Quang Minh (Vietnam) : Nguyen Quang Minh “I love Vietnamese folklore. I’ve grown up with it. Folklore permeates the popular prints created in my mother’s home place, the famous Dong Ho village. It is in the lullabies by which my mother soothed me into sleep.” Nguyen Quang Minh was born in 1970 into a family of factory workers who had no connection to the arts. The subject matter of most of his paintings is rural life, expressed through a muted colour palate and a delicate combination of hues to create bucolic scenes that are sparse and lyrical and imbued with a serene innocence. Quang Minh employs simplified images of buffaloes, dragon flies and graceful Vietnamese “everywoman” figures which are drawn from Vietnamese cultural archetypes. His subject matter and style combine seamlessly to form a metaphor for his world view: “I am striving to get to the spiritual essence of things -- something beyond the visible which keeps escaping me. I try to say as much as I can with as little as possible.” Click here to view the artist's biography

Nguyen Quang Minh (Vietnam)

Hanoi Dreams, November 22 - December 5, 2011 : Hanoi Dreams Exhibition Dates: Tuesday, November 22, 2011 to Monday, December 5, 2011 Location: Art Square Gallery, 334 Dundas Street West (across the street from the AGO), Toronto Open Daily from 9 am to 11 pm Opening Reception: Thursday, November 24, 2011, 6.30 -10 pm Artist Ngo Van Sac in attendance About the Exhibition: Five artists from Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, five ways of dreaming... The art works in the East Gallery’s second Vietnam group show all have a dreamlike quality -- ranging from Trinh Quoc Chien’s Buddhist-inspired mixed media lacquer paintings and Ngo Van Sac’s intricate wood engravings to Nguyen Minh Thanh’s haunting, poetic water colours. ‘Hanoi Dreams’ marks the Canadian debut for all of the five emerging and established artists. Artists: Trinh Quoc Chien Vu Huong Quynh Nguyen Minh Thanh Ngo Van Sac Nguyen Quang Minh

Hanoi Dreams, November 22 - December 5, 2011

Trinh Quoc Chien (Vietnam) : Trinh Quoc Chien Since his graduation from the Hanoi Fine Arts institute in 1993, Trinh Quoc Chien has been developing a unique style to express his own perspective of Oriental Abstractionism. His complex creations represent meditations on a theme, broken down into a series of iconographic panels. The eye inevitably travels around the piece, from panel to panel, decoding the images before taking in the balanced whole. Chien takes the traditional Vietnamese art form of lacquer painting in a radically new direction by utilizing a variety of elemental substances such as silver and gold leaf, stone and pebbles. These materials are formed into cultural symbols, such as the bell and the lotus flower, or into traditional or invented iconography, to form highly structured, balanced representations of the inner life of the Asian psyche. Click here to view the artist's biography

Trinh Quoc Chien (Vietnam)

Vu Huong Quynh (Vietnam) : Vu Huong Quynh

Vu Huong Quynh (Vietnam)

Ngo Van Sac (Vietnam) : Ngo Van Sac "My art work is about desires, the tension between real life and phantasy and the complicated relationships between humans. I want to show my emotions and share my own stories. I am interested in art works that are created from different materials, such as wood cut combined with newspaper, sand or acrylic. I like strong renderings of figure, the effect of different surface textures and the strong contrast between black and white. The inspiration for my work comes from what is happening around me, and I am influenced by my own story too. Each component in my art work has a story. Concrete figurative details and simple empty spaces refer to both real and unreal life as well as to dreams about myself. Each circumstance creates complex emotions - whether people are alone or sitting together, talking – and this is something I want to show and share. Human relationships have changed a lot. Today, we communicate with the help of email, cell phones and other communication technologies and the distance between humans is growing. We need to spend more time on talking directly to one another and sharing our emotions.” Click here to view the artist's biography

Ngo Van Sac (Vietnam)

Than Kyaw Htay (Burma) : Than Kyaw Htay Than Kyaw Htay is inspired by the Pa-O people of the Shan States in the north-east of Burma. They are easily identifiable by the colorful turbans worn by both men and women. These paintings feature one or several figures standing or squatting, sometimes looking slightly off-balance, which the artist says is an echo of the dramatic changes that are going through the country now. They look out over a beautiful but empty countryside, which creates a feeling of isolation, another metaphor for the country as a whole. The artist says he paints the landscape in vibrant, vivid colors, because his people are longing for a brighter future as they stare into the distance. He depicts the backs of people, because, he says, Burma has turned its back on the world, but the figures are often outlined with a thin, uneven rim of warm contrasting color, which the artist says represents the hope for a better future. Inspired by Van Gogh, Than Kyaw Htay gives his paintings texture and added depth by scratching a comb through the pigments, at times revealing the contrasting under-painting. This technique smoothes and integrates the tones of the figures, clothes and landscape, giving the works an added dimension and energy. Of his creative process, the artists says, “Firstly, I go to the areas where these people live and I study their lifestyle. I take photos of them and the landscape. Occasionally I sketch the landscape in order to remember the color and atmosphere of the place. When I get back home I examine all the photos and print out some that inspire me. I don’t do many sketches because I believe sketching destroys the interaction between the artwork and me. When I feel emotionally ready after looking at the photos, I start to draw, using red on a color primed canvas. I then build up the colors, which are often completely different from the photo. Sometimes patches of the primer color and the drawing lines are left exposed because they say something to me. It is all about my own visual pleasure. It is subtle. For me, creating this kind of painting is like cooking delicious food.” Click here to view the artist's biography

Than Kyaw Htay (Burma)

Than Kyaw Htay Than Kyaw Htay is inspired by the ...

Updated: Sep 04, 2011 12:38pm PST

Eye on Burma, September 26 - October 10, 2011 : EYEonBURMA Exhibition Dates: September 26 - October 10, 2011 Open daily from 9 am to 11 pm Location: Art Square Gallery 334 Dundas Street West Toronto (Across the street from the AGO, Art Gallery of Ontario) Special Events: -Monday, September 26 to Wednesday, September 28: Special preview of exhibited works -Wednesday, September 28, 6.30 pm - 10 pm: Opening Reception with artist Khin Zaw Latt in attendance -Saturday, October 1, 8 pm to October 2, 6 am: Scotiabank Nuit Blanche unofficial participant. Exhibition and restaurant open throughout the night. -Tuesday, October 4, 7pm. An Evening of Art and Literature with Karen Connelly, one of Canada's most successful younger writers. Two of her best-selling books are set in Burma: 'The Lizard Cage' and 'Burmese Lessons' Book free tickets online -Thursday, October 6, 7 pm: Burmese.Theravada.Buddhism: Three Introductions In One. Christoph Emmrich, assistant professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Toronto, will give an introduction to Theravada Buddhism, the religion practised by the majority of Burmese, and how it relates to the country's art Book free tickets online About the exhibition: Requiring a special Canadian government permit, the Eye on Burma exhibition provides Canadians with a rare opportunity to peer inside the dynamic but largely hidden contemporary art scene of this fascinating and troubled country. The show will feature new work by 4 leading contemporary Burmese painters who are making their Canadian debut - S. Moe Z., Than Kyaw Htay, Kyee Myint Saw and Khin Zaw Latt. Internationally acclaimed artist Khin Zaw Latt, winner of the prestigious 2011 Myanmar National Portrait Competition, will be in attendance at the opening reception and at various other times during the two-week show. A number of special events will help visitors to gain a better understanding of the country and its people. Artists: Khin Zaw Latt S Moe Z Than Kyaw Htay Kyee Myintt Saw

Eye on Burma, September 26 - October 10, 2011

EYEonBURMA Exhibition Dates: September 26 - October 10, 2011 ...

Updated: Aug 21, 2011 8:11pm PST

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Homepage Slideshow

Updated: Jul 10, 2011 3:04pm PST

Dinh Thi Tham Poong (Vietnam) : Dinh Thi Tham Poong One of Vietnam’s most successful female artists, Dinh Thi Tham Poong’s work is deeply influenced by her ethnic roots and her childhood in a remote mountainous region on the border with China. Born in 1970 in Lai Chau province, Tham Poong is of mixed Thai and Muong heritage, two of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minority groups. Her intricate, vivid and often surreal paintings depict the close interrelationship between humans and nature which she experienced growing up. Concrete details of the daily life of ethnic minority men and women, often dressed in their distinctive, colourful clothes, are combined with imaginary landscapes. The borders between human and natural life are fluid. “In my mind, everything has two halves,” says Tham Poong. “Everything contains each other, is intertwined with each other.” Tham Poong paints with watercolour on handmade paper. She has won a number of Vietnamese art awards and has had exhibitions in Vietnam, the United States, Finland, Germany, Austria and Japan. The owners of the East Gallery have known Tham Poong for 16 years. She designed their wedding invitation in 1998. Click here to view the artist's biography

Dinh Thi Tham Poong (Vietnam)

Ha Tri Hieu (Vietnam) : Ha Tri Hieu Ha Tri Hieu is one of the founding fathers of Vietnamese contemporary art. He is a member of Hanoi’s ‘Gang of Five’, the first group of young artists to gain international renown after Vietnam opened up in the late1980s. The subject of much of Ha Tri Hieu’s poetic, expressionist work is the beauty and simplicity of rural life in Vietnam. Born in the capital Hanoi in 1959, Hieu was deeply influenced by the years he spent as a child in the countryside where his family sought refuge during the Vietnam War. Recurring images of water buffalos and stone temple dogs evoke feelings of nostalgia and the innocence of childhood. What makes Hieu’s oil paintings unique is the symbiosis between romantic and expressionistic elements, between naïve forms and impetuously chosen colors, combined with a refined understanding of the subtleness of light. Ha Trieu has had exhibitions in Vietnam, the United States, Japan, England, Hong Kong, Thailand, Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Argentina, Malaysia, South Korea and Taiwan. Click here to view the artist's biography

Ha Tri Hieu (Vietnam)

Nguyen Kim Quang (Vietnam) : Nguyen Kim Quang Hanoi native Nguyen Kim Quang (born 1958) is one of Vietnam’s leading lacquer artists. Painting with lacquer is a centuries-old tradition that was first introduced by the Chinese for the making of handicrafts and decorative items and developed into a uniquely Vietnamese art form in the last century. Unlike most conventional lacquer art, Kim Quang’s work is abstract and minimalist. His art is full of symbolic messages that are often anchored in his Buddhist beliefs. Through art, Kim Quang communicates the core values that govern his life: faith, love, peace and harmony. He has had exhibitions in Vietnam, Hong Kong, Belgium, the United States, Switzerland, Singapore, Thailand and Australia. Click here to view the artist's biography

Nguyen Kim Quang (Vietnam)

Vietnam Now, June 2-14, 2011 : Vietnam Now! Five leading Vietnamese Contemporary Artists make their Canadian Debut Exhibition Dates: June 2 - 19, 2011 Location: Arta Gallery, Distillery District 55 Mill Street, Suite 102, Bldg. 9, Toronto Opening times: Monday - Friday 11 - 6 Saturday 12 - 7 Sunday 12 - 5 Map Opening Reception: Thursday, June 2, 6 – 9 pm Artist Nguyen Kim Quang in attendance Special event: An evening of art and literature with Camilla Gibb, June 6, 6.30 pm Artists: Nguyen Kim Quang Ha Tri Hieu Vu Thu Hien Dinh Thi Tham PoongHoang Phuong Vy As in China, art in Vietnam has undergone dramatic changes since it threw off the shackles of socialist realism in the late 1980s. With fewer restrictions on creativity and growing exposure to international art trends, Vietnamese artists have become increasingly experimental in developing their own unique style while at the same time continuing to incorporate Vietnam's rich cultural heritage in their work., Today, the country's art scene is thriving with art works being exhibited in galleries and museums around the world. Torontonians will have an unprecedented opportunity to see a cross-section of contemporary Vietnamese art by five of the country's leading artists.

Vietnam Now, June 2-14, 2011

Vietnam Now! Five leading Vietnamese Contemporary Arti ...

Updated: May 03, 2011 9:22am PST

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The East Gallery Exhibitions

Updated: Apr 08, 2011 10:35am PST