Episode #79: Bart Was Not Here
Imagine a conversation that ranges from Richard Pryor to Jack Keraouc, from The Life of Brian to the modern Burmese Sangha, from The Godfather to trashy Burmese style romance movies, from the Beatles to Eminem to Ashin Wirathu. If you get such disparate, cross-genre connections, you’re well-primed to listening to this episode featuring the acclaimed artist, Bart Was Not Here.
From painting to comics, and from graffiti to sculpture, Bart employs an unpredictable blend of classical influences with modern, often Western pop influences in support of his main underlying theme, which is social commentary on contemporary Burmese society. The simplicity of his art can at times belie the depth and complexity of thought behind it, and during this interview Bart unpacks the deeper meaning of some of his pieces.
Bart’s primary creative influences were Hieronymous Bosch, Frank Stella and Louise Nevelson. Although the work of these artists is quite diverse, the one thing they had in common was an impulse towards “worldbuilding,” which is essentially creating a unique fantasy world, and making all the elements of one’s created world believable. This is something that Bart tries to develop in his own pieces. His appreciation for worldbuilding goes back to childhood, when he used to lose himself in Burmese comic books, and was sharpened when reading Neil Gaiman’s critically acclaimed coming book series, The Sandman.
“I want to have characters that I want my audience to be familiar with,” he says, “I want set pieces, I want props. And I still want to implement compositions from the classical artists that I enjoyed. So it's an alchemy of bringing all of those things together.”
Still, worldbuilding is only one part of Bart’s development as an artist. Another key component is the humor he brings to his work. His artistic pseudonym was chosen in homage to the protagonist of The Simpsons, and it’s not hard to see a similar kind of irreverence in his own creative style. However, it was the comedian George Carlin who spoke most directly to Bart, especially his fearlessness in critiquing organized religion. “I felt at home”, Bart says, noting that he had long resisted both the Muslim faith of his family and the conversion efforts of his Buddhist and Christian friends, and finally someone— in this case, Carlin— was making sense. His appreciation for Carlin was followed by a succession of other stand-up comics such as Russell Peters, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, and Dave Chappelle, which eventually led him to Monty Python sketches and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Once he became an artist himself, all these disparate influences found a way into his work. He notes simply, “It's funny if it works. If it doesn't work, or if it's not funny I go, ‘Maybe I'll take a more serious approach.’ And then I change my artwork accordingly.” When Bart wants to tap into another vibe, his musical influences are another resource. For him, nothing comes close to Michael Jackson, and Thriller in particular, which he has listened to more times than he can count and refers to as a near perfect album. He was also particularly drawn into the work of East Coast rappers like Jay-Z and Nas, as he appreciated their story-telling prowess, and has been a keen observer of the development of the genre within Myanmar as well. He credits the album Street Rhymes with being one of the first truly original local works, and has also been quite happy seeing the artistic growth of his friend, the acclaimed artist J Me. Unlike in the West, Burmese rappers had to navigate issues of personal safety and strict censorship laws, and did not enjoy any real freedom until the 2010s democratic transition. Bart took full advantage of that period to develop his craft. One of his fondest memories was seeing the appreciation that viewers displayed towards his work as the Myanmar art scene began to flourish with the country’s newfound freedom of expression.
As one might imagine, the present situation has deeply affected Bart, both as a Burmese citizen, and an artist. He recalls being a student during the 2007 protests, and seeing monks brutally attacked and killed right out of his school window. And like many Burmese, he hoped those days were a thing of the past. Of course, since the February 1st military takeover, everyone now knows that hope was dashed. So Bart has used his artistic talent to support the movement. His works this year are strong, artistic statements on his feelings about the current situation; for example, he created a graffiti image proclaiming Disobey which went viral, a comic-style image showing activists behind a barricade with the caption “Answer the call”, a Burmese doll with the words “We bend, we don’t break”, and a religious image of the Buddha, Jesus, Mohammad, and Krishna showing their support for the protests, to name but a few.
Perhaps surprisingly, Bart is clear that he did not intend any of these pieces as “political statements,” per se. He clarifies this by saying, “[These works are] a record of 2021 for me, because the first day the military took power of the whole country, I reacted with my own artwork. So for me, it's like a diary. It's a compilation of everything I've done this year. All these artworks were made in different months.” He views this artwork as a kind of running commentary on the protest movement, which started with non-violent strikes and eventually led towards the rise of armed resistance groups.
One of the most well-received works he did this year, and one which also happens to be one of his favorites, is a rendition of a photograph showing a military truck being attacked and bursting into flames in San Chaung (in Yangon). For Bart, like for so many others, this moment was the first time that the bully who had been terrorizing them had finally been finally punched in the nose. The Burmese people cheered. While those disconnected from the conflict might misunderstand their exuberance around the event, and this work of art, as an unfortunate celebration of violence, for so many in Myanmar it was a moment of empowerment and hope after most of the country’s modern history being one of subjugatation and oppression by the military.
“They did so many unspeakable things to us,” Bart says. “They didn't let us sleep. They didn't let us live in the day. They didn't let us live in the night. That truck explosion was really symbolic, especially to Yangon.” He notes it was like saying to the soldiers on the street, “‘You cannot come outside anymore. The streets are ours! If you step foot on it, it's your choice. You're dead meat out here.’”
Staying true to his artistic inspirations, Bart continues to oscillate between driving home powerful messages as a hammer, and alternating that with a sideswipe of parody or satire. “Humor is a weapon,” he acknowledges, “and to make fun of someone hurts more than to kill someone. If they get triggered, or if the military or their supporters get offended, or they get triggered by what I do, I think I win. And the worst they can do me is kill me. My artwork is going to live on. It's the internet, someone's going to save it!” Moreover, humor exposes the generals not as karmically-endowed divine leaders whose rule and authority cannot be challenged, but rather “these little insecure, deteriorating old men, [many of whom having only] finished second or third grade education. They don't have enough knowledge there, and the way they act are parallel to animals.” By disrespecting their authority to such a degree, they become de-legitimized in a way; this art is empowering not only to activists, but to the Burmese people in general.
For the time being, Bart is in Paris. He has had his works displayed in front of the Louvre, as well as in London. His future plans are to move on to the US. And although he cannot return to Myanmar now due to safety concerns, he continues his protest from afar.
“I think it's the best way for me to contribute, because I'm creating artwork, and it raises awareness and consoles my people. It helps people process this experience. And on top of it, I can take that artwork, and I can sell it, and it becomes a fund. I send that money off to people who are in the field.”
In closing, Bart acknowledges the value of art not only at this moment, but at any time: “Art in general, I think it's needed. And not just during the protest, it's needed all the time.”