Richie Nath was born twice: once in Yangon, and again in Paris. Since leaving Myanmar in the aftermath of the 2021 coup, he has come to understand what it means to both produce and undo himself. The displacement opened a distance from his mother, one he had not known before, though her presence continues to structure his sense of self.
As the emotional and hierarchical order between mother and son began to fracture, the possibility of self-recognition emerged. His first self-portrait Where Are You?, painted in 2023, does not resolve this rupture but marks its beginning. In this first solo exhibition in Paris, An Oyster Without a Pearl, the artist explores identity, migration, and his complex relationship with his mother through painting drawings and mis-en-scène.
Richie Nath was born twice: once in Yangon, and again in Paris. Since leaving Myanmar in the aftermath of the 2021 coup, he has come to understand what it means to both produce and undo himself. The displacement opened a distance from his mother, one he had not known before, though her presence continues to structure his sense of self.
As the emotional and hierarchical order between mother and son began to fracture, the possibility of self-recognition emerged. His first self-portrait Where Are You?, painted in 2023, does not resolve this rupture but marks its beginning. In this first solo exhibition in Paris, An Oyster Without a Pearl, the artist explores identity, migration, and his complex relationship with his mother through painting drawings and mis-en-scène.