Press Release 2016

Art that upholds tradition takes top honours at the UOB Malaysia Painting of the Year competition 2016

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 27 October 2016 - United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Bhd (UOB Malaysia) today presented the UOB Malaysia Painting of the Year award to Ms Yim Yen Sum for her artwork titled 'The Floating Castle'. With this win, Ms Yim joins the ranks of past UOB Malaysia Painting of the Year winners including well-known artists Mr Gan Tee Sheng and Ms Minstrel Kuik.

The winning mixed medium artwork is of a traditional Chinese house embroidered on a sheet of gauze. It was chosen from among four finalists in the Established Artist1 category at the UOB Malaysia Painting of the Year competition.

The 29-year old artist impressed the panel of judges with her delicate needlework which conveyed the fragility of cultural traditions and how easily they could disintegrate if they were not given the proper care and attention.

Ms Yim said, "I hope my art will highlight the shared responsibility of a community to preserve and to nurture age-old customs for future generations. I am honoured to receive this award and I look forward to representing Malaysia on the regional stage," Ms Yim said.

As the 2016 UOB Malaysia Painting of the Year winner, Ms Yim received a cash prize of US$25,000 (RM100,000). Her artwork will also go on to compete with the winning entries from other UOB Painting of the Year country competitions held in Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand for the UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year Award2.

After which, 'The Floating Castle' will also be exhibited at the UOB Art Gallery, located at the Bank's regional headquarters in Singapore. In addition, Ms Yim stands a chance to win a one-month residency programme at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan.

In the Emerging Artist3 category, Mr Ng Kok Leong, 43, won the Most Promising Artist of the Year Award for his acrylic painting titled 'Busy with'. His artwork features three people on a production line, representing how one's past, present and future interconnect.

Mr Wong Kim Choong, Chief Executive Officer of UOB Malaysia, said that the UOB Malaysia Painting of the Year competition is the Bank's way of catapulting talented and passionate local artists to the regional art scene.

"We encourage emerging talent and established artists to push their creative boundaries through the annual UOB Painting of the Year competition in Malaysia, now onto its sixth year. I am pleased to see how this programme helps to draw out the abundant talent we have in this country. This year, the competition showcased exceptional works of art that highlighted the significance of preserving our culture and traditions. Such is the ability of art - to express the richness of our heritage in contemporary times," Mr Wong said.

The winning entries were selected by a panel of judges comprising Malaysia's renowned contemporary artist, Mr Choy Chun Wei; Malaysia National Visual Arts Gallery Senior Curator, Mr Mohamad Majidi Amir and the Founder and Executive Director of Shalini Ganendra Fine Arts, Datin Shalini Ganendra.

The 2016 UOB Malaysia Painting of the Year winners' showcase
The winning artworks will be exhibited at Curate Henry Butcher, LG1-1, SENI Mont' Kiara, 2a Changkat Duta Kiara, Mont' Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur from 27 October to 22 November 2016, between 11.00 am and 4.00 pm daily (excluding weekends and public holidays). The exhibition is open to the public and admission is free.

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1 The Established Artist category is open to experienced professionals with an established portfolio of work. They must have shown their paintings in solo or group exhibitions (excluding school graduation shows), be represented by a gallery, or have achieved recognition through art awards.
2 The 2016 UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year Award will be announced on 9 November at the UOB Painting of the Year Award ceremony in Singapore.
3 The Emerging Artist category is open to aspiring artists who are pursuing an arts education, taking their first steps to a career in art, or simply paint for pleasure.


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