Learn from Culture

After last night’s show, I woke up early today to go to one of the legal walls in my town to paint a picture.

I had prepared the stencils during the last days and now the time was right to go out and paint them. Due to my work as autor or writer, I had to make a decision, if I shall paint or write. I decided for the latter one and wish I had more time (and financial support) to do both.

I am neither a calligraphy artist, nor a calligraffiti artist, but I love the shape of the ornamentic lettering and occasionly use them in my work. I do not follow any of the rules of calligraphy, so please don’t mind the mistakes.

During my time in Burma/Myanmar, when I made my research about the effects of the military dictatorship on the people and the civil war against the ethnic minorities, I surely came across the Kayan people. Their women – the so-called „long-neck women“ are wearing metal rings around their neck, so that their chest is pushed down and the imagination of a longer neck is created. In past times, this tradition was used to protect the women against tiger bites or to prevent them to marry with men from other tribes along with other myths. These brass rings can weigh up to 10kg and the tribe is meanwhile trying to end this tradition, because it can cause health problems to the women.

I took the photo of the lady in one of the refugee villages of the Kayan people in Thailand at the border to Burma in 2006 and her portrait was published in my book „Burma – an alternative guide“ in 2009.

Keinom – Learn from Culture – Essen, Germany – 20.12.15

Keinom – Learn from Culture – Essen, Germany – 20.12.15