CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2017
| Author | Kálmán, Borbála |
|---|---|
| Title | A Site For Mindful (Re)Definition: The Independent Contemporary Art Scene Of Myanmar |
| Summary | The cultural sphere in Myanmar was for the past decades dominated by a rigid official discourse, still carved today, during a transitional period, in its unchanged, immobile institutional frame. Not only it is problematic being based on a former military regime’s formulation, but it also lacks entire narrative layers, such as a definite artistic segment of the recent past. This absence uncovers the depth to which an intellectual imprint of a whole era has been blocked by censorship from accessing general awareness. Myanmar’s current independent contemporary art scene developed underground on its own, rooted in this absent segment, and created an autonomous system to operate in. Through its artistic practices and infrastructure, it represents a genuine agenda coherent with the intrinsic cultural frame and context of Myanmar. The alternative discourse enabled by the scene, being a flexible, and inclusive site, is crucial for free expression, for building curiosity, but also for creating an open dialogue within society’s diversity and for allowing narratives, that were consciously or unintentionally deleted by the official discourse, to (re)surface. The study reflects a hypothesis which understands the independent contemporary art scene as a mindful site enabling an alternative discourse within society and which contributes to the (re)definition and (re)access of absent artistic, and so cultural narratives, as well as to the maintaining of the art scene’s integrity and continuity. As a result of the research, a mechanism of smart practices based on existing projects is offered as a reading tool for the site, also containing some specific suggestions for potential further development. |
| Supervisor | Kowalski Alexandra |
| Department | Medieval Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2017/kalman_borbala.pdf |
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