Min Mahaw was born in 1975 in Yangon. He studied painting at night classes at the Yangon State School of Fine Arts and graduated in 2003. After his graduation, he started his profession for drawing comics at Korean Comics Company in Yangon for 13 months.

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He started painting commissioned pieces with acrylic medium after he left the Korean Comics Company. That is where he started using acrylic paint as he was taught about only oil at the school. He just learnt how to use acrylic from one of his artist friend.

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He developed his techniques and skills with acrylic medium while he was doing commissioned paintings. He was also painting what gave him more freedom and joy to his creation while he was working on commissioned pieces. Then he started showing his non-commissioned works at group exhibitions in 2006. Now he has participated in more 30 group exhibitions and had two solo exhibitions in Yangon.

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The subjects for his works are mostly antiques. He loves the antiques since he was a kid as he grew up with the antiques inherited from his grandparents. The musical instruments, metal boxes, leather boxes, kettles, door locks, puppets etc in his family’s antiques collection have become his painting subjects. His love for antiques has become his paintings.

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His love for painting antiques has grown up when he saw William Harnett’s works at one of his teachers. When he showed his painting of old violin to one of his art teachers, the teacher showed him William Harnett’s paintings. He was amazed at his works and got inspired by him Then he started to focus more on painting antiques where he found everywhere.

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Now his skillful still life-painting with antiques have become his signature. He is well-recognized with his signature paintings locally and internationally. 

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He lives in Yangon with his family and works as a full-time artist. His collection can be seen at the Nawaday Tharlar Gallery.

 

                                                                        Old is New

Things always change. The old become new sometimes. To me the simplest thing is to enjoy the old as they are. I just paint them to put it in a way of new form that can attract more people who appreciate a new creation, a new medium, a new work of art and make them see and feel the beauty of the old at the same time. Then the old has become new in a different form to some. I can also enjoy them as my own work of art in a way of old and new. I have just added simplicity and honesty to my creation on the canvas. (Min Mahaw)