For the third consecutive year, an Indonesian artist has earned the UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year Award. This year, the United Overseas Bank (UOB) recognized 36-year-old Gatot Indrajati for his relief acrylic painting, Right or Wrong My Home. This artwork also garnered him the 2016 UOB Painting of the Year, Indonesia award.

Judges praised Indrajati’s innovative combination of wood, a traditional Indonesian art material, with paint. This creates a visually captivating and modern piece of art. They highlighted his skillful composition and layering, which produce various perspectives, emphasizing space and reflecting a typical Southeast Asian cityscape. The judges also noted that the artwork’s lighthearted imagery encourages viewers to consider its deeper meaning.

Indrajati explained that he drew inspiration from the passionate patriotism of the Indonesian people, which is a fundamental aspect of their identity. He aimed to capture this passion and patriotism, along with the Indonesian tendency to express love for their country through humor, in his painting.

UOB’s Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Wee Ee Cheong, reaffirmed the bank’s ongoing dedication to fostering the development of art in Southeast Asia.

He emphasized the significant role art plays in strengthening societies by connecting individuals and communities, celebrating cultures, and enriching lives. Wee also highlighted the distinctive aspect of UOB’s art program, which focuses on giving back to the community. Beyond nurturing and showcasing artistic talent, UOB connects its artist alumni and community partners to make art accessible to underprivileged and special needs children.

In the Established Artist category, 49-year-old Carey Ngai received the UOB Painting of the Year (Singapore) Award for his oil on canvas painting, Industry 2.0 III. The judges were impressed by Ngai’s use of shades and colors to create a realistic artwork that draws parallels between the obsolescence of industrial machinery and human abilities as societies evolve and integrate artificial intelligence.

Yoko Choi Chi Mei, 38, earned the title of Most Promising Artist of the Year (Singapore) in the Emerging Artist category for her diptych, City Wandering. Using ink markers on Chinese ink paper, Choi’s intricate, overlapping, and multi-directional patterns explore how the pursuit of change can alter one’s perception of order and certainty.

The UOB Painting of the Year competition is an annual event held across four Southeast Asian nations. In Singapore, it holds the title of the longest-running art competition and serves as the bank’s flagship art program. UOB’s commitment to promoting art as a core component of its corporate social responsibility program began over four decades ago in Singapore. Throughout the years, the UOB Painting of the Year competition has helped launch the careers of many artists in Singapore and the region, including Singapore Cultural Medallion recipients Raymond Lau, Chua Say Hua, and Hong Sek Chern.

The regional panel of judges included representatives from each of the four participating countries: Agung Hujatnika Jennong, an independent curator and lecturer at the Faculty of Art and Design at the Bandung Institute of Technology in Indonesia; Choy Chun Wei, an award-winning contemporary artist from Malaysia; Dr. Bridget Tracy Tan, Director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Arts and Art Galleries, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore; and Amrit Chusuwan, an artist and Dean of the Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University in Thailand.

Other winners of the 35th UOB Painting of the Year competition include:

+2016 UOB Painting of the Year, Malaysia: Yim Yen Sum, The Floating Castle
+2016 UOB Painting of the Year, Thailand: Jongjit Moolmat, Awaiting Enlightenment 2

+Established Artist Category (Singapore), Gold Award: Tang Kok Soo, Elephants Crossing the Water
+Established Artist Category (Singapore), Silver Award: Yeo Tze Yang, Ah Ma’s Kitchen
+Established Artist Category (Singapore), Bronze Award: Kobayashi Satoshi, The Producer

+Emerging Artist Category (Singapore) Gold Award: Ariel Dong Zixin, Self-portrait
+Emerging Artist Category (Singapore) Silver Award: Shirly Koh Li Qing, Gentle Shade of Blue Beyond…
+Emerging Artist Category (Singapore) Bronze Award: Ryan Lim Ding Xuan, Smithereens

Interested?

The winning paintings from the 2016 Painting of the Year competition will be on display at the UOB Art Gallery, located in UOB Plaza 1 at 80 Raffles Place, until the end of February 2017.