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Sawangwongse Yawnghwe
Sawangwongse Yawnghwe (b. 1971) was born into the Yawnghwe royal family. His grandfather, Sao Shwe Thaik, was the first president of the Union of Burma (1948–62) after independence from Britain. Following a 1962 military coup Yawnghwe’s family was exiled, first to Thailand and then to Canada, where he grew up. He now lives and works in the Netherlands. Yawnghwe’s art, including painting and installation, engages with politics through his family history and contemporary and historical events in Burma. Yawnghwe recently exhibited at the Berlin Biennale (2025), the Thailand Biennale in Chiang Rai (2023) and has exhibited at institutions including Kunstinstituut Melly in Rotterdam, Nova Contemporary in Bangkok, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, and the Irish Museum of Modern Art. He has also participated in the Dhaka Art Summit (Bangladesh, 2020 and 2018), the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (Australia, 2018), and the 12th Gwangju Biennale (Korea, 2018).
Sawangwongse Yawnghwe is represented by Jane Lombard Gallery and TKG+.
Sawangwongse Yawnghwe
Biography
Sawangwongse Yawnghwe (b. 1971) was born into the Yawnghwe royal family. His grandfather, Sao Shwe Thaik, was the first president of the Union of Burma (1948–62) after independence from Britain. Following a 1962 military coup Yawnghwe’s family was exiled, first to Thailand and then to Canada, where he grew up. He now lives and works in the Netherlands. Yawnghwe’s art, including painting and installation, engages with politics through his family history and contemporary and historical events in Burma. Yawnghwe recently exhibited at the Berlin Biennale (2025), the Thailand Biennale in Chiang Rai (2023) and has exhibited at institutions including Kunstinstituut Melly in Rotterdam, Nova Contemporary in Bangkok, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, and the Irish Museum of Modern Art. He has also participated in the Dhaka Art Summit (Bangladesh, 2020 and 2018), the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (Australia, 2018), and the 12th Gwangju Biennale (Korea, 2018).
Sawangwongse Yawnghwe is represented by Jane Lombard Gallery and TKG+.
