Meet our Artist of the Month
Bart Was Not Here, also known as Kyaw Moe Khine, is a Burmese artist living in exile in New York, with a diverse range of artistic mediums, including large-scale canvases, sculptural installations, figurines, digital illustrations, and more. His art combines text and imagery to explore his experiences as a Burmese-Muslim born into a military dictatorship and as an immigrant, creating visuals described as a "technicolor fever dream." Bart's humor shines through as he provides commentary on his outsider status in both his home country and the Western world, while celebrating the global cultural influences of the 21st century. Raised in authoritarian Burma, he turned to global pop culture as an escape and began his artistic journey inspired by graffiti at a young age, adopting the moniker "Bart Was Not Here." Bart's artistic journey led him to graduate from Lasalle College of the Arts and participate in numerous exhibitions, including a residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, France in 2021-2022. More details about his work and background can be found on his website.