The monks’ faces are characterised by the glow of deep knowledge and inner reflection. The pure interior souls which weather out every storm in life and now realise that even through bitterly difficult times, this world is still beautiful and warm. 

Seventeen oil paintings by Aung Kyaw Htet, the most famous contemporary painter of Myanmar are on display at the exhibition entitled “Serenity and Splendor of Myanmar” which will take place at Blue Gallery, No.28 Trang Tien Street, Hanoi from July 29.

Paintings by Aung Kyaw Htet

Gorgeous smiles and eager discussions can be felt, yet no character in the paintings speaks a word. 

Out of a familiarity with describing reality, Aung Kyaw Htet is confident in using strong and sometimes hot colours to grab and fix a state, a moment of characters - the monks and nuns, the most familiar faces in a Buddhist country. 

Through Aung Kyaw Htet’s paintings, we can feel the peaceful nature of the people of Myanmar despite their difficulties and can see a resilient Myanmar that always raises the spiritual values despite fluctuations and pain in life.

Aung Kyaw Htet can create exquisitely detailed realistic paintings but is also very liberal and adventurous when it comes to abstraction. 

It is still him - a devout Buddhist who keeps his inner immutability and satisfies the halo of a virtual reality in abstraction. 

In the matrix of the soul, the endless circle of the universe, the painter's soul is still happy and peaceful. 

His calm is an accumulation of the firm material of culture and religious belief; the roots that help a painter and a citizen keep his personal dignity in the world always filled with the power of possession and encroachment. 

Therefore, Aung Kyaw Htet’s paintings are truly serene and splendid, peaceful and glorious. Peace is shining in each face, in the smile of the novice, in the aura of nature and floating clouds, the footsteps and even in inanimate objects. And the splendor is the inspiring beauty spread from the heart and soul of such honest people.

Aung Kyaw Htet was honest and wise in choosing his own path. The path of pilgrimage in the arts leads him to make close friends in many countries. 

His first solo exhibition in Vietnam “Serenity and Splendor of Myanmar” is sponsored and advised by Jorn Middelborg, the owner of the famous Thavibu Gallery, and now Thavibu Art Advisory. 

The region's leading art researcher and an influential curator, Shireen Naziree has spent a great deal of time and effort on Aung Kyaw Htet. 

The exhibition is also the result of the tireless efforts of the owner of the Blue Gallery. Therefore, it is a not only a chance for art lovers in Vietnam to enjoy the beautiful paintings but also to witness the expression of friendship and cooperation in a flat and conflicting world.

Nhan Dan