Press Release 2013
UOB cardmember drives away Porsche Cayenne for her birthday
Kuala Lumpur, 19 November 2013 - United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Bhd (UOB Malaysia) today awarded Mr Gan Tee Sheng, 29, the top honour at the 2013 UOB Painting of the Year competition. He won the top award in the Established Artist category.
Mr Gan, a full-time artist, received US$25,000 (approximately RM82,500) for his oil-on-canvas painting titled Old Man. The artist said he wanted his piece to send a strong message to society on the need to care for the elderly.
On winning the award, Mr Gan, said, "I am thankful to UOB for supporting local artists in Southeast Asia. Entering competitions such as the UOB Painting of the Year has made me more confident. It has given me the encouragement to push beyond my boundaries and to create more outstanding pieces of art."
In the Emerging Artist category, a highly vibrant and colourful artwork, My Inner Vision won Ms Tin Yuan Yuan, 40, the Most Promising Artist of the Year award worth US$3,000 (RM9,900). After being in the education industry for more than a decade, Ms Tin quit her full-time teaching job three and a half years ago to pursue her interest in art by becoming a part-time art teacher and artist.
Mr Wong Kim Choong, Chief Executive Officer of UOB Malaysia said, "The UOB Painting of the Year competition is our way of giving back to the community by supporting local talents, whether they are a budding or established artist. We are honoured to play a role in raising awareness of our local artists through this competition."
All entries were evaluated by a panel of judges comprising Ms Lim Wei-ling, founder of Wei-ling Gallery and Wei-ling Contemporary, Encik Haned bin Masjak, Director-General of the National Visual Arts Development Board, and Mr Ivan Lam, leading Malaysian contemporary artist.
The annual UOB Painting of the Year competition aims to recognise outstanding Southeast Asian artists and to provide an opportunity for them to showcase their works to a wider audience regionally. Winning artworks are exhibited at UOB branches and offices for the public to enjoy and may also be used as design inspirations for the Bank’s annual reports and other marketing collaterals.
This year, the regional prize pool of the competition was doubled to more than US$200,000, making it one of the largest purses among art competitions in Southeast Asia. UOB Malaysia is giving away a total of US$56,000 to the country’s eight winners.
Opportunity to win the UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year title
Mr Gan will have the opportunity to compete for the UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year award worth US$10,000 (approximately RM33, 000). This is a new award introduced this year to commend the most outstanding painting of the competition. Mr Gan will be competing with the Established Artist winners from Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand for the award. He will also stand a chance to enter a residency programme at the prestigious Fukuoka Asian Art Museum.
The UOB Painting of the Year Award winners from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand will have their artworks exhibited at the 73-12 Gallery in Singapore from 26 November 2013 to 7 December 2013.
Other award winners
In the Established Artist category, Mr Cheong Tuck Wai, 34, won the Gold Award of US$10,000 (RM33,000) for his painting entitled Homes. The Silver Award worth US$8,000 (RM26,400) went to Encik Helmi Azam bin Tajul Aris, 30, for his painting, Endless, while the Bronze Award worth US$5,000 (RM16,500) was received by Mr Ng Swee Keat, 34, for his painting, The Hidden Calamity of Life. Mr Ng was the also winner of the UOB Painting of the Year in 2011.
Winners of the Emerging Artist category include Ms Wong Shirley, 30, who won the Gold Award of US$2,500 (RM8,250) with her painting Visit "Culture" 1; Ms Tan Lu Man, 21, who won the Silver Award of US$1,500 (RM4,950) for her painting Sexual; and Encik Aely Ahmad bin Abdul Manaf, 38, who went home with US$1,000 (RM3,300) for his painting Exclamation Points.