It has been a week since we opened our pop-up gallery at Junction City Yangon. Frankly, we did not know what to expect. We are an online gallery with a pop-up to complement our online presence. Does the city need another gallery, pop-up or otherwise? How would a gallery fit in a shopping mall in Yangon?

To our surprise, the response from Yangonites and visitors have been overwhelming. A tourist from the United States, who is an artist herself, said she was impressed by the range of techniques displayed by the Myanmar artists. An expatriate based in Yangon found the exhibition collection refreshing.

What is most meaningful to us is the response from local residents. Families walked around our pop-up gallery as they would in a museum, enjoying the paintings. They examined each piece of artwork, discussed their favourites, and took many photographs and selfies.

We are happy that we were able to provide an opportunity for art students from a high school in Kyee Myint Daing to meet and interact with artists. Their art teacher brought them on a field trip to reward them for being prize winners in their school’s art competition. It was such a treat for them to meet artists Shwe Thein and Pann Kyi!

By having a pop-up in a popular mall, we are not just organising an art exhibition but bringing art to the city. We are doing our part to show local residents and visitors alike that Myanmar has an amazing range of artists that we can proud of, and that everyone can enjoy the arts.