Singaporean artwork wins UOB Painting of the Year Award 2024

Singaporean artist Yong Wee Loon’s work “A Sip Through Time”, which awakens viewers’ nostalgia through objects lost to modern society, has won the UOB Painting of the Year 2024 award (Singapore) and the prestigious UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year (SEA POY) award. Mr Yong’s work outperformed the outstanding winning works of the UOB POY 2024 competitions held in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. This is the second time she has won a UOB POY award, having won the silver award in the emerging artists category in 2017. The last time a Singaporean artist received the SEA POY Award was in 2013.

Made through a diptych, A Sip Through Time captures a coffee shop frozen in time, with an eclectic mix of objects, signs, clocks, traditional sweets and other elements common in traditional coffee shops. The inclusion of a QR code and a surveillance camera merges the traditional and digital worlds, alluding to progressivism. Through the work, the artist hopes to transmit positive emotions from days gone by, transporting viewers to simpler and slower moments.

The 2024 winners from Southeast Asia and Singapore were announced tonight at the 43rd UOB POY Awards Ceremony and Exhibition, held at the National Gallery Singapore.

In the presence of Minister of National Development Desmond Lee, winning artists from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam attended the ceremony alongside previous winners, distinguished guests and the arts community.

Wee Ee Cheong, Vice President and CEO of UOB, said: “The UOB POY competition reflects our long-term commitment to growing with businesses, communities and people across Southeast Asia. Our focus on ASEAN goes beyond business connectivity, it is also about giving back to the communities we serve, including through our support of the arts. We are pleased to launch the UOB Artist Alumni Network this year to further enhance connectivity between the regional arts community. “Through this network, artists can hone their knowledge through exhibitions, artwork commissions and networking opportunities across the region.”

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The UOB SEA POY 2024 jury was composed of the Regional Councilor, Mr. Kwok Kian Chow, and the chief judges from each of the five participating countries: Dr. Vichaya Mukdamanee (Chief Judge of Singapore), Melati Suryodarmo (Chief Judge of Indonesia), Bibi Chew (Chief Judge of Malaysia), Amrit Chusuwan (Chief Judge of Thailand) and Dang Xuan Hoa (Chief Judge of Vietnam).

Mr Yong is one of four artists in the Established Artist category, along with four other aspiring artists in the Emerging Artist category, recognized at the 43rd UOB POY (Singapore) competition. He will also compete with the country’s four other UOB POY winners for a two-month UOB-NAFA artist residency program, UAS, at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris.

2024 Most Promising Artist of the Year (Singapore), Emerging Artist Category – Winner “That Blessed Mood” by Joanna Maneckji has been awarded the Most Promising Artist of the Year 2024 (Singapore) award in the emerging artists category for her work “That Blessed “Mood.” Composed of a collage of paper on cardboard, the work represents a mother and her son lying in a hammock, peacefully enjoying a sunny afternoon in a garden. Beyond the happy, content image of motherhood, the old photo album paper used as the mother’s skin hides a layer of paper from a Financial Times article with the words “I’m not afraid.” These powerful words signify a mother’s strength under fragility, a poignant reminder of the resilience necessary in the journey of motherhood.

UOB Artist Alumni Network to offer more support to artists

UOB officially launched the UOB Artist Alumni Network at the awards ceremony, the pioneering competition-based alumni network for artists. The Network aims to further raise the profile of UOB artists in Southeast Asia and Greater China, while facilitating greater connectivity and collaborations across the region.

A Sip Through Time captures a coffee shop frozen in time, with an eclectic mix of objects, signs, clocks, traditional sweets and other common coffee shop items.

The Network will strengthen the Bank’s long-term support for artists through four key areas such as exhibitions of artworks on flagship platforms such as Art Jakarta and Art Central in Hong Kong, in which UOB is a lead partner; commissions of works of art for exhibitions or auctions; artistic residency programs abroad; and opportunities to network and engage with colleagues and leaders in the arts community.