Kobayashi Satoshi’s “The Producer” source: UOB

Are you ready to make your craft the UOB Painting of the Year 2017?

The annual competition that has been highlighting artists across South East Asia for over two decades now, is accepting entries until September 1, this year.

The theme is Reciprocity, which is how viewers perceive and appreciate art through their own experiences and memories.

“The beauty of art is subjective and can be interpreted differently based on viewers’ feelings and experience. This year’s theme highlights this unique element that makes art and the appreciation of it personal to each of us,” says UOB Malaysia CEO, Wong Kim Choong.

We believe that art plays an essential role in the progress of a country, its economy and its people. The UOB Painting of the Year aims to not only provide a platform to uncover talented artists in the country, but also to highlight the role art plays in shaping our community. The annual competition is UOB’s commitment to help identify artistic talents and to provide them with opportunities to hone their skills and to showcase their works to a wider community,” added Wong. 

The competition, which started in Singapore in 1982, has launched the careers of several artists in the region, including last year’s winner, Gatot Indrajati. Gatot’s artwork, ‘Right or Wrong My Home’ was inspired by the esprit de corps of his own countrymen and marked a “hat trick” for Indonesia as it snagged the UOB best painting titled three times in a row. 

Singapore’s Cultural Medallion award recipients, now known as masters of modern art, Goh Beng Kwan, Anthony Poon and Chua Ek Kay, were also among the alumni of artists joining the prestigious UOB Painting of the Year competition.

Interestingly, this competition makes no distinction between novices and established artists, giving the same chance to vie for the title, US$25,000 prize money and spot to compete for the UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year award (worth an additional US$10,000). Winners will also be considered for a one-month residency programme at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum.

The first round of competition is photo submission of entries, afterwhich, the actual artworks selected should be sent in for judging. Winners will be announced at an award ceremony in October 2017.

That sounds easy enough doesn’t it? Why not give it a shot? We’re looking forward to see you win!

For further details on how to enter the competition, log on to www.uobpoy.com. Entry forms are available online and across all San Francisco coffee outlets across the Klang Valley.

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Tags: Gatot Indrajati, Goh Beng Kwan, UOB Painting of the Year competition