Food meets art at launch of UOB’s Painting of the Year event

Vivien Ang, The Business Times, 2024年5月5日
A BLACK and white photograph taken in 1962 of the first biscuit and confectionery factory in Singapore was what inspired Shen Jiaqi to produce the artwork Sustenance.
 
The artist, who clinched UOB’s Painting of the Year (POY) award in 2021, said that the photo reflected a time when factory work was touted as a way to help families improve the standard of living, as well as attain some level of financial independence for women amid those exciting early years of independence.
 
The reality of the situation, however, was that these young women workers were at a disadvantage due to many factors that may have outweighed the pros of freedom and financial independence, Shen said.
 
She added: “The presence of these women became a neglectable page in the history of Singapore that only those who were present can recall to detail, and therefore by painting only their back view, I am encapsulating their presence in history; present yet transient.”
 
A black and white photograph taken in 1962 of the first biscuit and confectionery factory in Singapore was what inspired Shen Jiaqi to produce the artwork Sustenance. PHOTO: VIVIEN ANG, BT
 

Her artwork, alongside five others, were what inspired edible creations conceived by six executive chefs from Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG).

 

The art pieces – which are already up for auction online – and menu-creations were on display at the launch of the 43rd UOB Painting of the Year competition on Friday (May 3).

 

 

 
 These #ArtforGood menus will be available to the public across various restaurants under PPHG from May to December. Part of the proceeds from the menu sales and all proceeds from an online silent auction of artworks donated by UOB POY artists will go to local charity Art:Dis, a non-profit organisation that helps create opportunities for disabled artists.

 

Starting bids for the artworks range from S$1,200 to above S$3,000.

 

From left: Christine Ip, head, Group Strategic Communications and Brand, UOB; Wee Ee Cheong, deputy chairman and CEO, UOB; Janet Young, managing director and group head of Channels and Digitalisation, Strategic Communications and Brand, UOB; and Wee Wei Ling, executive director, Sustainability Partnerships, Lifestyle and Asset of Pan Pacific Hotels Group. PHOTO: UOB

 

Wee Ee Cheong, deputy chairman and chief executive officer of UOB, was at the event at The Southern Depot in Gillman Barracks.

 

He said: “As a leading patron of the arts in Asia, we are pleased to invite artists to join the 43rd edition of our flagship art competition. To make art more accessible and to bring art into our daily lives, we are excited to collaborate with partners in the food industry to bring you ‘edible art’. We hope these upcoming art-dining experiences will give people a refreshing way to appreciate art and be inspired by the creativity.”

 

The programme identity of this year’s competition was also unveiled at the launch, which depicts the need for conservation to preserve the fragile ecosystems.

 

Inspired by the 2023 UOB Southeast Asian POY winning artwork Chumphon Estuary, the piece touches on the topic of microplastics. Thai artist Pratchaya Charernsook, through the work, wanted to highlight the imminent threat that they pose in waterways.

 

The competition is held in five countries – Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam – and the winners of each country will compete for the coveted UOB Southeast Asian POY award.

 

Submissions for the 43rd UOB POY competition will open from now to Jul 31, 2024. All Singapore citizens and permanent residents are eligible to submit up to three artworks digitally for either the Established or Emerging Artist Category at UOBandArt.com.

 

The six artworks that were on display on Friday are available for auction online at https://www.32auctions.com/ARTDIS

 

 

 

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