Tin Tin

 TinTin (Tin Maung Htwe)  is a natural artist. He has never set out to define the work he makes. He simply creates, remaining receptive to the varied influences in his life, from the political turmoil of his home country of Burma to his experiences rubbing elbows with the artists of NYC's underground art scene, to becoming a father and relocating to the Southwest. Although he's label-averse, TinTin is a humble Renaissance man capable of synthesizing ideas and materials to create provocative art. 

  In 1996, TinTin moved to New York City to continue his higher education, earning his liberal arts associate's degree at a community college shortly after arriving State-side. Throughout the '90s, TinTin immersed himself in the NYC art and music scenes, working with various local and international artists as an assistant and associate. These early experiences as an insider of the City's transgressive and political art scene of the 90s influenced TinTin's artistic development and laid the groundwork for his conceptually driven studio practice.

In 2010, TinTin co-founded New York City-based art space art@apt. alongside fellow artist ChawEi Thein. At art@apt., TinTin curated numerous exhibitions featuring Burmese artists and organized events for Burmese musicians, actors, poets, and filmmakers. From 2010 to 2016, art@apt. organized and hosted a wide range of weekly events—from artist talks and documentary film screenings to poetry readings—that transformed the DIY art space into a vibrant hub of the NYC Burmese artistic community and a much-needed platform for underrepresented Burmese creatives.

  Since TinTin's relocation to Santa Fe, the artist's studio practice has drawn deep inspiration from the Southwest's vast skies, vivid colors, and intricate patterns. Over the past eight years, TinTin has immersed himself in the culture and history of the Southwest, an experience that has broadened his artistic perspective and deepened the concepts driving his creative projects. In his art, he works with rustic elements and found objects that reflect the natural beauty and spirit of the region where he now works and lives. Conceptually, his work blends his Burmese heritage with the influences of the American West, resulting in an artistic vision that resonates with both the past and the present.