Graffiti Gains Ground

Graffiti artists move further into the mainstream in Burma with an exhibition of their work opening at the end of September at Rangoon’s New Zero Space Gallery.

“We want to promote graffiti as an artistic movement,” said the gallery’s Ko Aye Ko.

The young artist, whose work will also be on show, said graffiti in Burma reflected the tensions and despair felt by the country’s youth.

Contemporary artists such as Nyein Chan Suu and Kaung Suu will display their work inside the gallery, while an outside wall will provide a surface for other spray painters to show their talent.

The graffiti phenomenon first surfaced in Burma about nine years ago and won followers in Burma’s pop art and music scene and in commercial design. Although a successful exhibition of graffiti was held at the French Cultural Center in Rangoon in 2007, it remains an underground art movement.

“Graffiti is a major component of hip-hop culture and music,” Burmese hip-hop performer J-Me told The Irrawaddy. “They’re from the same family.”

Graffiti artist Ko Thuta Aye said: “I feel free after completing a work. It releases tension and emotion.”