Painted by budding artists and UOB POY winners to bring art closer to the community and to inspire future generations
Ms Denise Phua, Mayor of Central Singapore District, Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and CEO, UOB, UOB POY artists (Mr Ezra Chan on the left, Mr Abu Jalal on the right) and a budding artist from Mini Monet painting the Wall of Aspirations at the 41st UOB POY competition launch
UOB unveiled a community-painted wall mural at the UOB Ability Hub1 at the Enabling Village to mark the launch of the 41st UOB Painting of the Year (POY) competition. Titled ‘A Million Dreams’, the 7.5-metre-long wall mural showcases the different aspirations and landmarks in Singapore, as well as how the UOB POY competition has been continuing to realise the dreams for many artists after its significant 40th milestone last year. The characters on the mural were designed by Mr Abu Jalal bin Sarimon, winner of the 2017 UOB POY (Singapore), Gold Award, Established Artist Category.
Ms Denise Phua, Mayor of Central Singapore District, graced the launch event as the Guest-of-Honour. Together with Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, UOB, they joined 10 budding artists from the Mini Monet2 programme, five UOB POY artists Mr Abu Jalal bin Sarimon, Mr Ezra Chan, Ms Ho Seok Kee, Mr Keane Tan and Ms Kelly Ng Shah as well as UOB volunteers to put their hearts on the palette as a show of continued support for visual arts. During the live mural painting, participants added colours to life with their combined artistic efforts through various art mediums such as acrylic paint and coloured markers.
Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, UOB said: “Art plays an essential role in enriching our lives and bringing our communities together. Over the last four decades, our annual regional UOB POY programme has helped more than 1,000 Southeast Asian artists share their works on a larger, regional stage as well as promoted greater appreciation of the rich and diverse cultures in ASEAN. This year’s programme identity highlights the theme of ‘optimism’ and how UOB has been strengthening the social fabric in the communities we operate. As the leading patron of the arts in Asia, we will continue to make art accessible to the wider community and uncover the next generation of great Southeast Asian artists to collectively realise the power of art in inspiring, healing and uniting us all.”
Mr Ezra Chan, a graduate from Pathlight School, recipient of the 2021 Lee Kuan Yew Exemplary Student Award and one of the UOB POY youngest winners, who won the 2015 UOB POY (Singapore), Most Promising Artist of the Year, Emerging Artist Category at the age of 15, also participated in the mural painting. He said, “Drawing has always been my way of expressing my emotions with my friends and family and that’s how I came to love art. Winning the UOB Painting of the Year award has opened the doors to many opportunities to showcase my work. I have been commissioned to paint huge canvases for large organisations, and invited to participate in many group exhibitions organised by ART:DIS and The Art Faculty. My works were printed on the 5th Purple Parade tee-shirts and also used for merchandise retailing at The Art Faculty. These experiences have built my confidence and I am very thankful for the recognition given for my artworks.”
Call for the 41st UOB Painting of the Year entries
Submissions will open from 26 April to 31 July 2022. Artists can submit their entries digitally. The competition is open to all Singapore citizens and permanent residents. The winning artworks will be announced at an awards ceremony in November 2022. The country winners from Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand will compete for the coveted regional UOB Southeast Asian POY Awards and a month-long residency programme at the renowned Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan. More competition details can be found at UOBandArt.com.
Established in 1982, the annual UOB POY competition is the Bank’s flagship visual arts programme and is open to artists in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. It is Singapore’s longest-running art competition and one of Southeast Asia’s most prestigious annual art awards. Past winners of the competition include Singapore Cultural Medallion winners Mr Goh Beng Kwan, and the late artists Mr Anthony Poon and Mr Chua Ek Kay.
1Please refer to UOB news release: “UOB announces the UOB Ability Hub at the Enabling Village", 20 November 2015
2Since 2010, UOB has been supporting Mini Monet, a visual art programme under the Little Arts Academy (LAA). The LAA believes in helping the young to fulfill their creative potential and supports children and youth from financially disadvantaged families who are interested in the arts.
