“Sweet Dreams are Made of This” plays from the speakers as Ardy Timmer struts into her first art exhibition in a Malaysian restaurant. Against all the conventions, she decided to organize a solo show for herself. She is proud of what she has created and even wrote a show-stopping speech for the occasion. But that was in 2012. Her excitement is visible as she recounts this story, and her face sobers as I ask how life has changed for her with social distancing in 2020.
Ardy Timmer was enjoying teaching art classes when the pandemic first hit and many ex-pats began to leave Myanmar. She says her passion is “helping people feel the spark of life.” Usually, Ardy is a person who loves bringing people together; it comes to her naturally. She enjoys performing and has that star quality, the energy that attracts people. Unfortunately for the past few months that has not been possible.
Enduring the Pandemic as an Artist
Instead of setting art aside when she cancelled her classes, she began exploring more of her artistic talent by following an art course online. She has had a lot more time to devote to exploring her passion, making use of the time during the pandemic to improve and deepen her artistic endeavors.
Her inspiration for her current artwork is being in Yangon. She loves photographing its beauty and its people and seeing what is happening around her. Her love for Myanmar has deepened in her five-year stay.
The Current Exhibition
Ardy has an exhibition in the fixed collection at Gallery 65, in Yaw Min Ghyi street, called “The people of Myanmar”. She used various materials, like her own photographs, magazines and newspaper clippings, as well as paint to create this collection. Each one depicts a scene from daily life in Yangon that holds meaning for her. But it’s not all about the final product looking beautiful. It’s about the feeling that it evokes to the viewer.
This piece, Rainy Days in Yangon, is an excellent example of how she captures the feeling and the energy of a scene with the materials she uses.
Ardy has been in Asia for 23 years and first found her passion for art in Indonesia. When she moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia she started to paint.
The Path to Passion
Ardy is a self-taught artist who has been on a journey of 15 years to pursue her passion. She has had several exhibitions in Yangon and Malaysia. If you would like to see her current collection or speak with her, please contact Ardy at ardistice@gmail.com as Gallery 65 is not currently open to the public.
Asia has been her inspiration to become an artist; in Asia, she found her love for art and that passion helps her thrive more in Myanmar. She hopes that everyone makes an effort to find their passion. “Once you have found that passion, the more you flourish, and the more you become your radiant self.”
