SINGAPORE - Mr Chomrawi Suksom, 28, from Thailand has won the 41st UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year award.
Titled Dystopia, his oil, acrylic and foil on canvas artwork is a detailed depiction of a world undergoing constant change. The careful technique is indicative of the year it took him to make the artwork.
His win was announced during a ceremony at the Victoria Concert Hall on Thursday (Nov 3) evening which was also livestreamed. The award, sponsored by the United Overseas Bank (UOB), recognised 18 winners in four categories from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
The winner for Singapore was Lester Lee, 58, who took home the Regional Painting of the Year for his work A Painting About Nothing And Everything. The piece depicts a collection of colourful everyday items to illustrate his idea of a work without concept or preconceived notions. It also emphasised the importance of mindful living and being present.
This is his third win, after having won the Gold Award, Established Artist category in 2021 and 2013.
Lee said: “I’m relearning and challenging myself to slow down and notice things more.”
Suksom and the other three country winners will receive the chance of attending a one-month residency programme at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan.
Singaporean Dillon Poh, 19, was the youngest winner this year. His work Greying won the Singapore Emerging Artist category. His father accepted on his behalf as Poh was on National Service duty overseas.
Poh’s monochromatic work Greying layers transparent people over and around an elderly man on a busy crosswalk, highlighting those easily overlooked in society.
The UOB Painting of the Year is one of the most recognised awards in South-east Asia and Mr Wee Ee Cheong, 69, UOB’s chief executive officer announced that the competition will expand to Vietnam next year.
Guest of Honour (GOH) Mr Edwin Tong, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community, and Second Minister for Law announced this year’s winners for the South-east Asian and Established Artists categories.
The award is also moving into the metaverse. All 37 artworks from this year’s competition will be installed in SkyArtverse by UOB, an immersive theme park in the metaverse which will also feature the artists’ stories.
In a post-pandemic world, this year’s entries reflected a collective resilience and hope for the future. Several artists used their works as interpretations of societal issues like environmental sustainability, global tensions and the impact of history.
The judges this year were Dr Bridget Tracy Tan from Singapore, Dr Agung Hujatnikajennong from Indonesia, Ms Bibi Chew from Malaysia and Mr Amit Chusuwan from Thailand.
