Created by
Nicholas
Memories are growing flowers. by Keinom in Berlin
Memories are growing flowers.
In this visual diary entry, I remember my time in the Shan State in Myanmar/Burma.
The Shan are a tribe of people who live in the east of the country and are related to the Thai and Lao people. Their culture is suppressed in Myanmar.
The building in the background shows the former Shan palace of the prince and princess in Hsipaw. I myself only saw it dimly from the entrance gate, which was blocked at the time, and not from the perspective I have depicted here.
The palace was built in 1924 and occupied by the last princely couple, Sao Kya Seng and his Austrian wife Inge Sargent, until 1963. They reformed many of the feudal traditions and gave lands to the population.
Sao Kya Seng was captured during the military coup in 1962 and it is still not clear what happened to him. He was probably murdered.
Inge Sargent fled the country and eventually settled in the USA, where she died in 2023 at the age of 90. Her story can be read in her book ‘Twilight over Burma’.
In the Shan flag, green represents the evergreen landscape of the Shan State, the warm climate and the agriculture that most Shan people live from. I loved the climate and mountainous landscape of Shan State and have fond memories of my time there. But I also remember the tragedy of this people.
I photographed the lady in the foreground during a ceremony in the liberated areas of Shan State. She shows the memory of the ancient culture of the Shan and a silent remembrance of the destruction of their culture and the many people who were murdered by the dictators.
I have written a book about the Shan and their history. ‘Travelling in Burma - A Journey to the Shan People.’ It's currently out of print, but I'm currently editing it and hope to self-publish it this year.
Anyone interested in the book is welcome to contact me.
Title: ‘Memories are growing flowers.’
Size: 31 x 48.5 cm
Technique: Spray paint, fragments from the constitution of the political exile representation of the Shan, acrylic paint and oil paint on canvas.
Date: 07 April 2025
Availability: Available
Medium: oil paint, acrylic paint, other media
Collection: people, pop
Size: 49cm (W) X 31cm (H)
Price: €795
Meet the Artist
Meet the Artist
Berlin, GermanyI like contradictions. Life is full of contradictions. Like yin and yang, my paintings combine these opposites into an overall picture. The rapid application of paint with the spray can and the pause when painting with the brush, the clearly outlined areas of the stencil technique stand next to the merging colors of oil painting. I need these contrasts, because sometimes this fire blazes in me and at the same time I also enjoy the stillness of slowness. All this energy is transferred to my works.
I like to tell stories in my paintings. My focus is on the stories and experiences that can shape and define a personality. The stories I choose and portray connect with the experiences of the viewer. It is an invitation to linger and reflect.
Thus, I capture a meditative mood in my paintings and create works that do not pass like a brief moment. Just like a view from the train window, past which the world rushes and turns on.
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