Shwe Thein

Artist Shwe Thein’s profile Artist Shwe Thein was born in 1981 in Kyauk Taw, Rakhine State, Myanmar. He studied at the University of Yangon, where he was taught by masters Mon Thet and Than Kyaw and he graduated in 2004. Shwe Thein is known for his painting depicting boats from his native region, the state of Rakhine. Shwe Thein’s earlier works were on traditional Rakhine wrestling but he has increasingly been focussing on his seascape series, painting sailboats in his home state of Rakhine. Colors occupy the main place in his work because they allow him to homogenize perfectly the different elements that compose the landscapes. The sky, the water and the boats are one of the young artist’s paintings. The harmony that emerges from his pieces gives the observer a feeling of completeness., evoking the Buddhist culture of Shwe Thein. His emotional statement said that “Growing up, I could not help but watch the boats on the river next to my hometown. These images became stuck in my mind’s eye,” said Shwe Thein. “Later, when I started to create art, these scenes were always present to me. In my early days as a painter, I was very attracted to impressionism, so I painted these riverine scenes in that style. Lately, I have been in the mood to express my vision using broad strokes of colours. With this new idea in mind, I continue to create art by painting in a semi-impressionist and semi-abstract style.” Artist’s style is constantly evolving, and his painting becomes more and more abstract but more freedom and more expressive. Since 2004, he has exhibited over 40 group shows at home and abroad including Chiangmai – Thailand, Indonesia, Taipei –Taiwan, Busan Art Festival –Soul –Korea, France, Malaysia, and Singapore.