Richie Htet

Presenting gender as myth
By Alana Malika

Richie Htet, ‘Belu Si’, 2020, acrylic on canvas. Image courtesy of the artist.

Richie Htet reclaims queer Burmese representation through his fluid depictions of the human form. The Yangon-based artist combines his fashion background and Burmese mythology to translate an emphasis on appearance as a rebellious front against gender binaries and heteronormativity.

Richie Htet, ‘Divine Reflections’, gouache on watercolour paper. Image courtesy of the artist.

Richie Htet, ‘Burmese Vamp in Green’, 2018, colourpencil on drawing paper. Image courtesy of the artist.

After his undergraduate studies in Fashion Illustration from the University of Arts London in 2017, Htet was unsure about pursuing a career in art. Concerned about the uncertainties of a career in the fine arts industry, the half-Bamar, half-Indian artist returned to Yangon after graduation and worked as a stylist and art director in a women’s fashion magazine. However, the artist later participated in a duo exhibition titled ‘I’m Not Trying to Seduce You’ (2018) with fellow fashion illustrator Calum Minuti at Myanm/Art, Yangon. Htet’s focus on the Burmese femme body piqued the interest of Nathalie Johnston, the founder of the gallery space. Htet was commissioned by Myanm/Art and &PROUD shortly after to create an art series based on his experiences being queer in Yangon. In 2019, Htet decided to become a full time artist, participating in ‘A Chauk: A Solo Exhibition’ (2020) at Myanm/Art, ‘Essentialist Images’ (2020) at Richard Koh Fine Art, Singapore and ‘The Foot Beneath The Flower: Camp. Kitsch. Art Southeast Asia’ (2020) at NTU ADM Gallery, Singapore.

Richie Htet, ‘Dream of a Chit Nat Thar (Cupid)’, 2020, acrylic on canvas. Image courtesy of the artist.

A pioneering queer art exhibition in Yangon, Htet’s first solo show ‘A Chauk: A Solo Exhibition’ (2020)’ eroticised ancient folklore to question the origins of queer stigmas. Htet subverts the prevailing LGBTQI+ tropes as frivolous and conniving in Burmese popular culture, thus choosing a title that simultaneously reclaims and rejects the label ‘အခြောက် (a chauk)’ or a derogatory term for feminine men. In a celebratory exploration of the male nude, the artist makes clear that the true myth lies in the artificial constructs of gender and sexuality.

Richie Htet, ‘BITCH BETTER HAVE MY DEMOCRACY’, (2021), gouache on paper, 74 x 54 cm. Image courtesy of the artist.

Htet’s art style has not only been in the frontline of queer activism in Myanmar. The artist has also used his art to protest against the military coup that occurred on 1 February, 2021. ‘BITCH BETTER HAVE MY DEMOCRACY’ (2021) portrays a female warrior wearing historical armour defeating a belu, a malevolent man-eating demon, dressed in a military uniform of the Tatmadaw, or the armed forces of Myanmar. Mythologies are sources of cultural wisdoms and by inserting queer representation and present-day power struggles into these generational narratives, Htet teaches a necessary lesson on inclusivity, justice, and resistance.

Click here to read our conversation with Richie Htet, where he elaborates on fashion illustration as inspiration, organising queer exhibitions in Myanmar, and creating art amidst a military coup.