SINGAPORE – Malaysian artist Saiful Razman has received the UOB South-east Asian Portray of the 12 months award for a minimalistic, monochromatic paintings impressed by self-isolation throughout the pandemic.
Titled Stroll In Silence, Do not Stroll Away In Silence, it makes artistic use of thin-rolled tissue paper and medical gauze, and encompasses a “haven” within the form of a home.
His paintings got here tops among the many nation winners of the UOB Portray of the 12 months contests in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. His win was introduced on Friday (Nov 26) in a digital ceremony on YouTube.
The competitors, organised by United Abroad Financial institution (UOB), is Singapore’s longest-running artwork contest and is now in its fortieth yr.
Saiful, 41, stated in a press release to the media that Covid-19 has made emotions of isolation extra prevalent than ever.
“I wished to precise the absence of sound and the sense of serenity skilled throughout self-isolation via utilizing blended media and extremely contrasting shades of gray,” he added.
To mark the award’s fortieth anniversary, the financial institution launched a UOB Digital Artwork Grant – by way of a $200,000 donation to the Nationwide Arts Council’s Maintain the Arts (stART) Fund – to advertise the usage of digital applied sciences in artwork.
The stART fund, which was launched in January this yr and supported by the personal sector, helps smaller arts teams create high quality programmes and develop their organisational and fund-raising capabilities.
President Halimah Yacob, the guest-of-honour, stated in a speech: “For the humanities to flourish and develop, you will need to foster a thriving ecosystem via sturdy and sustained partnerships among the many public, personal and other people sectors, via initiatives just like the stART Fund and companions like UOB.
“A various and self-sustaining arts ecosystem promulgates our sense of neighborhood and identification. I encourage everybody to think about how we are able to individually help our arts, whether or not as a patron, volunteer, fan, or just a member of the viewers. As collectors, corporates, and people, we are able to all play a job, and collectively, foster an arts scene that Singapore can proceed to be happy with.”
Saiful will obtain US$35,000 (S$48,000) for successful the general prize, along with 100,000 ringgit (S$32,400) for the UOB Portray of the 12 months (Malaysia) award. He may also get to participate in a residency programme on the Fukuoka Asian Artwork Museum in Japan.
Keane Tan, 22, received the award’s Singapore class for A Dramatic Cinematic For Our Century. The piece, a scene of the Merlion Park and crashing waves, makes use of picture era and machine studying applied sciences for its base, in addition to detailed ending in oil paint.
Brian Ko, 20, received the UOB Most Promising Artist of the 12 months Award (Singapore) for Uncertainty Of Photovoltaic Cells, an summary interpretation of a black photo voltaic panel.
Mr Wee Ee Cheong, UOB’s deputy chairman and chief government, stated: “Over the past 4 many years, the UOB Portray of the 12 months competitors has helped to uncover and nurture our area’s artists, making their artworks accessible to a wider viewers.
“This yr, we’ve seen a file variety of entries from throughout the area, every entry testomony to the creativeness and ingenuity of South-east Asian artists to narrate to their audiences.
Subsequent yr, UOB may also run a commemorative exhibition that includes previous winners of the award’s South-east Asian and Singapore classes since 1982, the yr the competitors began.
- This yr’s successful work will likely be exhibited on the UOB Artwork Gallery, UOB Plaza 1 in Singapore from Saturday (Nov 27) to Feb 28, in addition to on this web site.