A blue ukulele featuring doodle art by a famed Myanmar punk vocalist sold at auction for US$27,500 (MMK52.8 million) last night to raise money for the anti-junta movement.
Big Bag front man Han Htue Lwin, aka Kyar Pauk, had hoped to raise at least US$1,000 with his custom-painted instrument for the National Unity Government. Instead, he was surprised to see it go for much higher in the online auction to support the so-called Spring Revolution.
“Congratulations to the brother who won the highest bid. Thank you for your generosity and appreciation for the art and the nation. Thank you to all the bidders for raising the price step by step. I am planning to send it along with my handwritten hand drawn postcard individually,” he said after the auction last night.
That makes it the world’s most expensive ukulele since one made in 1930 by a famed musician sold for $26,000 in 2006, according to the internet.
Kyar Pauk, who has been creating doodle art for several years, has been in hiding since the junta ordered his arrest for selling works to fund armed resistance to military rule. Last year, he released the album Cinematicus.
