Retro shots of Myanmar youth culture from the ’70s to ’90s

Totally tubular — In 2013, photographer and archivist Lukas Birk launched the Myanmar Photo Archive – a treasure trove of shots from the famously private Southeast Asian nation.

The Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar has long been shrouded in mystery and intrigue. Formerly known as Burma, the country sits on the Bay of Bengal where it lies nestled between India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Laos, and China, and has been subject to invasions for the better part of the past millennia.

For the past six decades, it has been ruled by a military dictatorship that has worked to keep its borders closed. “We have this idea that the country was closed off from the world and to some extent it was – but certain things always come through,” Austrian photographer and archivist Lukas Birk reveals.

In 2013, Birk launched the Myanmar Photo Archive (MPA) to create a comprehensive archive of Burmese photographers working between 1890 and 1995. Featuring some 10,000 photographs, it provides an inside look at the nation through the eyes of its citizens. A selection of the work is showcased in the new book, Burmese Photographers (Goethe Institut Yangon), which includes fascinating chapters on youth culture between 1970 and 1990.

Calendar photographs taken by Har Si Yone, Bellay Photo Studio, Yangon 1970s

Calendar photographs taken by Har Si Yone, Bellay Photo Studio, Yangon 1970s

 

“I found a lot of private photography and I really wanted a centralised body of work from a photo studio where the work that was created is very specific to the city where it was made,” Birk explains. While photo studios had thrown away old photos and negatives, Birk was lucky to come upon the Bellay Photo Studio, which Burmese photographer Har Si Yone opened in 1963.

“His son Tun Tun Lay, who runs the photo studio under the same name today, kept thousands of negative kept in plastic bags,” Birk says. “He was very keen on the idea that I would preserve them and work with them, so I scanned about 4,000 negatives.”

The discovery was an incredible find. The 1970s was a period of dictatorial power, inflation, food shortages, and government corruption. Despite (or perhaps because of) the political crisis going on across the nation, the photo studio became an oasis where young men and women were free to express their ideal selves within the magical oasis of the photo studio.

Actors  Kyaw Thu & Moh Moh Myint Aung. Taken by U Sann Aung, USA Photo Studio, Yangon 1989/1990

Actors Kyaw Thu & Moh Moh Myint Aung. Taken by U Sann Aung, USA Photo Studio, Yangon 1989/1990

 

“It was a difficult time for youth to be themselves,” Birk observes. “Most of the fashion photos that I have were not intended for public use. Girls and boys would come into the studio and take pictures in their favourite dress, flared trousers, Western clothing, or extra sexy local skirt that they would never wear outside.”

When Birk exhibited these photographs in a large public park, a former student of U Sann Aung approached him and said: “My former master, he’s the man who brought colour photography to Myanmar. You should include him in the archive.”

Sann Aung became famous in Yangon during the 1980s and 90s for his colour photographs that embraced pop culture sensibilities. Sann Aung opened several shops in Siek Kan Thar and at Yuzana Plaza in 1998, where he was the sole distributor of Kodak and Agfa film. After the US imposed sanctions on Myanmar and Kodak pulled out, Sann Aung developed a partnership with Konica and remained in business.

Double exposed  negative. Bellay Studio. Yangon, 1970s. Taken by Har Si Yone, Bellay Photo Studio, Yangon 1970s.

Double exposed negative. Bellay Studio. Yangon, 1970s. Taken by Har Si Yone, Bellay Photo Studio, Yangon 1970s.

 

“Sann Aung’s archive is completely gone. All that is left are the photographs I used in the book because he printed them really big – these are famous actors and actresses and they were produced for calendars,” Birk notes.

Burmese Photographers is a landmark publication that changes the way we think of Myanmar. “There is always a need for expressing, for being creative, and for making something more than what you have in front of you,” Birk observes.

“People might have smuggled in one little fashion magazine like Vogue or ELLE, and it was copied and shared because people had the need to do something beyond what they were allowed to do. That is something you take from: People are people. This need is everywhere, in every environment.”

Calendar photographs taken by Har Si Yone, Bellay Photo Studio, Yangon 1970s

Calendar photographs taken by Har Si Yone, Bellay Photo Studio, Yangon 1970s

Actors Kyaw Thu & May Than Nu. Taken by U Sann Aung, USA Photo Studio, Yangon 1989/1990.

Actors Kyaw Thu & May Than Nu. Taken by U Sann Aung, USA Photo Studio, Yangon 1989/1990.

Calendar photographs taken by Har Si Yone, Bellay Photo Studio, Yangon 1970s

Calendar photographs taken by Har Si Yone, Bellay Photo Studio, Yangon 1970s

Actors Soe Thu & Moh Moh Myint Aung. Taken by U Sann Aung, USA Photo Studio, Yangon 1989/1990

Actors Soe Thu & Moh Moh Myint Aung. Taken by U Sann Aung, USA Photo Studio, Yangon 1989/1990

Calendar photographs taken by Har Si Yone, Bellay Photo Studio, Yangon 1970s

Calendar photographs taken by Har Si Yone, Bellay Photo Studio, Yangon 1970s

Actors Kyaw Thu & Moh Moh Myint Aung. Taken by U Sann Aung, USA Photo Studio, Yangon 1989/1990

Actors Kyaw Thu & Moh Moh Myint Aung. Taken by U Sann Aung, USA Photo Studio, Yangon 1989/1990

Calendar photographs taken by Har Si Yone, Bellay Photo Studio, Yangon 1970s

Calendar photographs taken by Har Si Yone, Bellay Photo Studio, Yangon 1970s

Calendar photographs taken by Har Si Yone, Bellay Photo Studio, Yangon 1970s

Calendar photographs taken by Har Si Yone, Bellay Photo Studio, Yangon 1970s

Actor Kyaw Thu. Taken by U Sann Aung, USA Photo Studio, Yangon 1989/1990

Actor Kyaw Thu. Taken by U Sann Aung, USA Photo Studio, Yangon 1989/1990

 

Find out more information on the Burmese Photographers project at Goethe Institut Yangon.

Follow Miss Rosen on Twitter.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Red shop frontage with "Open Out" branding and appointment-only signage.
Activism

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims

Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Cyclists racing past Palestinian flag, yellow barriers, and spectators.
Sport

Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification

Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Crowded festival site with tents, stalls and an illuminated red double-decker bus. Groups of people, including children, milling about on the muddy ground.
© Alan Tash Lodge
Music

New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture

Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Weathered wooden building with a tall spire, person on horseback in foreground.
Culture

Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South

Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A collage depicting a giant flup for mankind, with an image of the Earth surrounded by planets and people in sci-fi costumes.
Culture

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind

Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.

Written by: Emma Garland

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Katie Goh

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.