Untitled (Dancers)

Credit Line: Gift of Ian Holliday 2023, Collection of SMU

Drawing on traditional Burmese life and the architectural heritage of Bagan for themes, watercolourist Ye Win Aung (b. 1983) harnesses the translucency of the water-based medium to give gem-like quality to his whimsical works.

The SMU Art Collection has over 70 paintings from Myanmar donated by Ian Holliday. A specialist in Burmese politics, Holliday assembled the Thukhuma Collection which comprises of Burmese paintings largely dating from the transitional decade of the 2010s, presenting multiple artistic perspectives on a society in reform. On display at School of Social Sciences and Li Ka Shing Library, the gifted paintings depict the people, culture and land, from the streets of Yangon and rural peripheries to political icons and indigenous deities.