In partnership with the Goethe-Institut Myanmar, the Austrian photographer and collector Lukas Birk opened a free exhibition in the Minister's Building of the Secretariat, devoted entirely to the work of Burmese photographers.
Photography arrived in Myanmar more than 150 years ago, but the early colonial-era images were mostly made by foreigners. By around 1910 a distinct scene of local Burmese photographers had emerged, slowly replacing the outsider's gaze with an indigenous vision of the country's society and culture.
Ten thousand images
Birk's curatorial work meant hunting through antique shops and old studios, eventually assembling over 10,000 images — studio portraits, family snapshots, press photography and commercial work that together tell the story of how Myanmar saw itself. His research also became a book, published by the Goethe-Institut in Burmese, with an English edition to follow.
The East Wing show was the opening act of a wider programme by the Pyinsa Rasa and Anawmar Art Group collectives, who hope to turn part of the historic building into a permanent cultural venue — a fitting future for a place so layered with the nation's past.
