The MY STORY photo project (MSppa) gives digital cameras and basic photo training to small groups of people in Thailand, Burma and beyond. The project’s aim is to give participants a means of creative expression and the skills to document their lives. Along the way, they have a lot of fun!

Since 2006, MSppa has trained almost 300 students in 4 countries and mounted 21 exhibitions in 5. Prints are sold with 50% of the proceeds going to the photographer and 50% going to the project for the purchase of new cameras. The MY STORY photo project association is a registered Canadian charity.

This is the 101st year of International Women’s Day, and we are eager to celebrate with all of you. Please come and check out the artwork, the music, and of course the delicious Burmese refreshments from Borderline Tea Shop.

For more information about International Women’s Day, please visit the official website.

We hope to someday soon have a real online shopping system for overseas customers to support Burmese artists living on the border. For now, the online gallery is a convenient way for local customers to browse the available artworks before coming into the shop. Please contact us at borderlinegallery@yahoo.com if you see anything that interests you.

We’ve set up the gallery as 4 different categories which should simplify your browsing: Burmese Life, Portraits, Landscapes/Cityscapes, and Abstract/Modern. In addition, we are proud to offer beautiful matted fine-art prints by our founding member and advisor, Sandy Shum.

Twenty percent of all gallery sales goes toward upkeep of our space, refreshments for exhibitions, and the curator’s salary. Borderline Gallery provides trainings, work space when needed, microloans, and of course, great exposure. Please help support this unique space in Mae Sot.

Take a look at the online gallery now and let us know what you think!

He is inspired by his community and greater society, which will be readily apparent through his exhibition. His preferred mediums are watercolor and acrylic.

Artist U Soe Win lives with his family in the city Mawlamyine, the capital of Mon State. Throughout his many years as a working artist, he has made many different exhibitions inside Burma and at Borderline Gallery. This time, the artist hopes to express new inspirations, new ideas and new styles. Please come and share your suggestions and ideas to U Soe Win.

Traditional Burmese foods will be provided by the Borderline kitchen as usual.

The Build Project is a non-profit organization that runs the Institute of Academic and Practical Studies (IAPS) in Mae Sot, Thailand. IAPS works with Burmese migrants aged 18 to 24, and aims to provide the education and skills necessary for the students to become leaders in the community.

Everyone at IAPS sincerely looks forward to seeing you at the exhibition.

http://www.buildproject.org/

Htut Aung from Yangon spent his earlier years as a commercial artist and magazine illustrator. These days, he is also fond of landscapes and scenes that express the lives of Burmese people. His preferred medium is oil.

The artist is looking forward to discussing his works and inspirations with visitors. Please feel free to ask any questions!

The opening will be on Thursday, 1st December from 6-9 pm and will continue until the 15th. Delicious Burmese food and drinks will be prepared by the Borderline Tea Garden.

In addition to our fair-trade handicrafts, we’d like to remind you that we have many books and DVDs on offer. Most of these come from Best Friend Library and support their work with migrant education and raising awareness of Burma issues. Best Friend Library currently offers buy any book, get a free DVD.

We also stock informative books and DVDs from other orgs such as Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), Thai-Burma Border Consortium (TBBC), School for Shan Students Nationalities Youth (SSSNY), and Mae Tao Clinic.

Don’t forget our artists! If you’re not quite ready to buy a painting but would like to support our artists living on the border, we have many types of art cards for sale: from postcards to handmade one-of-a-kind watercolor cards.

Borderline is currently offering free gifts with minimum purchase. Click on the poster image above to see what gifts you can choose from for purchases worth 1000 baht, 2000 baht, and 3000 baht. Thanks for supporting Borderline!

The Karen brothers both undertook formal art studies in Rangoon before eventually making their way to Mae Sot, and are both fortunate enough to make a living as full-time artists here. They primarily use watercolors and acrylics, and focus on depicting local people and nature. Both brothers are fascinated by the beauty of light, and incorporate this light into their works.

The artists are eager to discuss their works and inspirations with visitors. Please feel free to ask them any questions!

The opening will be on Thursday 10th November from 6-9 pm and will continue until the 24th. Delicious Burmese food and drinks will be prepared by the Borderline Tea Garden.

The day before the show, the Borderline crew of Bobo, Sein Sein Lin, Sandy and Nancy was joined by the incredible Patrick, Jasmine and Mike of The Puzzlebox Art Studio to transport art and tons of handicrafts from Mae Sot to Chiang Mai, and all worked together to hang the beautiful exhibition. With tasty desserts donated by The Best Friend Library and a full bar at Sangdee, it was quite the party. Take a look at more photos on our Facebook page! And add us while you’re at it!

It was great to see a few faces familiar to us from Mae Sot, and to discuss the border situation with Chiang Mai residents and tourists who’ve never been out here. Thanks so much to Shawn and Po at Sangdee for all their support in promoting the show, and to Jeffro for providing energetic blues guitar accompaniment.

Thursday night was Sangdee’s weekly jam session, and on Saturday night, Best Friend Library held a screening of the acclaimed “Burma Soldier” documentary. This was followed by a talk with Aung, an ex-Burmese Soldier now living in Chiang Mai. Both events had great turnouts, and gave more people a chance to check out the new exhibition.

Borderline’s curator Bobo will stay with the show through the closing date, November 10th. He’s been available evenings from 5-10PM to explain the artworks and artists’ migrant circumstances to any visitors who drop by. Please do continue to visit–we’d love to introduce Borderline to as many people as possible!