Leeds based artist Toby Latham is no stranger to Southeast Asia, having notched up a devoted 13 or so visits to the region in the past 20 years. Helen Smith of Art Points North caught up with him for a quick-fire round of questions just two hours before his latest trip there - a third in close succession to Myanmar.
HS: We know you’ve made a number of journeys to Southeast Asia, Toby. Which countries have you been to? How many times?
TL: The first was when I was 19 in 1992. Since then I’ve been to Thailand many times, Cambodia once, Vietnam once and this will be my third visit to Myanmar, which is also known as Burma.
Why revisit Myanmar?
I find it an incredibly inspiring place. On this visit I will be going to some new sites and areas, absorbing the atmosphere and culture and taking photographs to work from on my return to the U.K. For a long time, Myanmar was a country that you just didn't visit. You occasionally heard something in the news. A friend of my grandmother had been there many times and the fact that it was a ‘closed’ country added to the appeal for me. When I first arrived there, it may sound a little strange, but I had a very strong feeling that I had been there before and immediately felt comfortable. It’s hard to explain, but I thought: “This is it. This is where I'm meant to be”.
And you created works about Myanmar, after previous visits?
Yes. On my first visit I went to Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, among other places. On my second, I went to Western Myanmar, Sittwe and the ancient Kingdom of Mrauk U, also upriver on the border of Chin state. All of these places have inspired my work over the last 2 years.
Around how many pieces? What techniques/approaches did you adopt?
I think I have made about 24 pieces from the last two journeys there. My medium is a combination of acrylic paint and monotype screen print, though not in a traditional way. I take photographs and then work into the images until I achieve the one I'm looking for. It changes again when I work further still into the image. I’ve also started to use acrylic washes, made by experimenting with Taiwanese caligraphy brushes.
Could you tell us some more about your Myanmar works so far and their development?
They're people and places.. Everywhere I’ve been in Myanmar, there is a painting waiting to happen - around every corner. The place is incredibly atmospheric and beautiful at times. I attempt to capture this in my work. However, in its recent history and for many years previously, terrible events have taken place there. To me, the overwhelming beauty of the place is the resilience of the Myanmar people.
What would you say is the meaning of these works?
That's up to the viewer to decide. I hope that people will get an insight into Myanmar as a country, but my main goal is to take the viewer to another place and to create beautiful objects.
Whose work would you most like yours to be compared to?
An agent I have dealt with on and off for many years in London said the work reminds him vaguely of Gauguin. Who wouldn't be pleased with that?
How do you feel when you are working on your pieces?
For me my work is the most enjoyable thing I do. It's hard to say how I feel. In many ways it is my method of meditation. Sometimes a whole day will go by very quickly while I'm working and I don't feel the time passing. Immersed and at peace, I would say. Like no other time.
And when you have finished a piece/a set of pieces from a visit?
The pieces themselves are the time of reflection. Often when something is completed I'm simply moving on to the next piece or project.
Do you follow what is happening in Myanmar when back in the UK?
Yes, I read the Myanmar news daily online and follow any international coverage too. These are significant times! During this visit to Myanmar, the National League for Democracy party will attempt to form their new government to end five decades of military rule. The date for announcement of presidential candidates has been brought forward to March 10th. It will be interesting to see whether the military will lift article 59(f) from the constitution, allowing Suu Kyi to stand and officially lead the country a step closer to democracy*. [*Post script 17/09/16: Suu Kyi was eventually victorious and now leads Myanmar through transition].
Have you noticed changes in Myanmar then, with each visit?
The biggest change I've noticed, without doubt, is around access to mobile phones. People used to go to a stall on the street to use a phone but last year the price of a SIM card dropped from 1000 dollars to 1 dollar. People are now connected and online. It was like they jumped from 1960 to 2015 in a year.
What captures your interest most about Myanmar?
The people, the culture. Such a unique mix, so many different ethnic groups and, in spite of the changes there, it’s like stepping in to another time.
HS: We know you’ve made a number of journeys to Southeast Asia, Toby. Which countries have you been to? How many times?
TL: The first was when I was 19 in 1992. Since then I’ve been to Thailand many times, Cambodia once, Vietnam once and this will be my third visit to Myanmar, which is also known as Burma.
Why revisit Myanmar?
I find it an incredibly inspiring place. On this visit I will be going to some new sites and areas, absorbing the atmosphere and culture and taking photographs to work from on my return to the U.K. For a long time, Myanmar was a country that you just didn't visit. You occasionally heard something in the news. A friend of my grandmother had been there many times and the fact that it was a ‘closed’ country added to the appeal for me. When I first arrived there, it may sound a little strange, but I had a very strong feeling that I had been there before and immediately felt comfortable. It’s hard to explain, but I thought: “This is it. This is where I'm meant to be”.
And you created works about Myanmar, after previous visits?
Yes. On my first visit I went to Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, among other places. On my second, I went to Western Myanmar, Sittwe and the ancient Kingdom of Mrauk U, also upriver on the border of Chin state. All of these places have inspired my work over the last 2 years.
Around how many pieces? What techniques/approaches did you adopt?
I think I have made about 24 pieces from the last two journeys there. My medium is a combination of acrylic paint and monotype screen print, though not in a traditional way. I take photographs and then work into the images until I achieve the one I'm looking for. It changes again when I work further still into the image. I’ve also started to use acrylic washes, made by experimenting with Taiwanese caligraphy brushes.
Could you tell us some more about your Myanmar works so far and their development?
They're people and places.. Everywhere I’ve been in Myanmar, there is a painting waiting to happen - around every corner. The place is incredibly atmospheric and beautiful at times. I attempt to capture this in my work. However, in its recent history and for many years previously, terrible events have taken place there. To me, the overwhelming beauty of the place is the resilience of the Myanmar people.
What would you say is the meaning of these works?
That's up to the viewer to decide. I hope that people will get an insight into Myanmar as a country, but my main goal is to take the viewer to another place and to create beautiful objects.
Whose work would you most like yours to be compared to?
An agent I have dealt with on and off for many years in London said the work reminds him vaguely of Gauguin. Who wouldn't be pleased with that?
How do you feel when you are working on your pieces?
For me my work is the most enjoyable thing I do. It's hard to say how I feel. In many ways it is my method of meditation. Sometimes a whole day will go by very quickly while I'm working and I don't feel the time passing. Immersed and at peace, I would say. Like no other time.
And when you have finished a piece/a set of pieces from a visit?
The pieces themselves are the time of reflection. Often when something is completed I'm simply moving on to the next piece or project.
Do you follow what is happening in Myanmar when back in the UK?
Yes, I read the Myanmar news daily online and follow any international coverage too. These are significant times! During this visit to Myanmar, the National League for Democracy party will attempt to form their new government to end five decades of military rule. The date for announcement of presidential candidates has been brought forward to March 10th. It will be interesting to see whether the military will lift article 59(f) from the constitution, allowing Suu Kyi to stand and officially lead the country a step closer to democracy*. [*Post script 17/09/16: Suu Kyi was eventually victorious and now leads Myanmar through transition].
Have you noticed changes in Myanmar then, with each visit?
The biggest change I've noticed, without doubt, is around access to mobile phones. People used to go to a stall on the street to use a phone but last year the price of a SIM card dropped from 1000 dollars to 1 dollar. People are now connected and online. It was like they jumped from 1960 to 2015 in a year.
What captures your interest most about Myanmar?
The people, the culture. Such a unique mix, so many different ethnic groups and, in spite of the changes there, it’s like stepping in to another time.