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How Ivan Pun is working to revitalise Yangon’s creative scene

When Ivan Pun moved to Yangon, Myanmar, in 2011, it was for the promise of change. Aung San Suu Kyi had been released from house arrest, and excitement was in the air. But soon enough Pun felt something was lacking. ‘Living there at the time, you definitely noticed a void,’ he says. ‘There was a buzzing creative energy, especially among young people who wanted to learn more about culture and creativity and form a community, but there wasn’t really a platform for that.’

This platform is what Pun set out to create. Despite being the son of Burmese-Chinese tycoon Serge Pun, he had no proclivity for the family trades of real estate and banking; rather, and fortunately, he pursued an interest in art, design and creativity. From there came the launch of Pun + Projects, his lifestyle agency, and its first significant project, ts1. ‘There wasn’t really a space where young artists could hang out and hold exhibitions,’ he explains. ‘That was how ts1 came about.’ A pop-up hub of visual and performance art, retail spaces and hip eateries, it was the first in a slew of projects by Pun aimed at rejuvenating downtown Yangon, all in quick succession.

f&b projects came first, such as sandwich shop Port Autonomy, Asian-fusion bistro Rau Răm and contemporary coffee shop Locale. Then in 2016, Pun established furniture business Paribawga, which combines local materials and craftsmanship with contemporary design.

Though Myanmar has faced its share of political and social upheaval, this has not hindered the creative development undertaken by Pun. And neither has the entrepreneur seen fit to rest on his laurels, with several new projects slated to launch in 2019, one being a contemporary Burmese brasserie in a colonialera building. Pun + Projects will also be making the move into restaurant management. ‘We’ve found that there are many restaurants with huge potential, but the owners may not want to be involved on a day-to-day basis,’ Pun says, explaining that restaurants are selected based on their receptiveness to the agency’s approach, described as ‘design-oriented, branded, and with a slightly quirky theme to the food’. The agency also plans to confirm a new home for ts1, which will be announced in the spring of 2019.

Having lived in the UK and New York, Pun is now based between Yangon and Hong Kong, and while the majority of his time today might be dedicated to his work in Yangon, he can often be found traversing the globe in search of inspiration to drive his work. ‘Travel is amazing, and it doesn’t matter where,’ he says. ‘Wherever you go, there’s always so much to see and discover.’