Press Release 2018

Malaysia's Chok Yue Zan is selected for the prestigious UOB-Fukuoka Asian Art Museum Artist Residency

UOB Malaysia launches the 2018 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) Competition as part of its efforts to nurture the next generation of great Malaysian artists

Kuala Lumpur, 4 June 2018 - United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Berhad (UOB Malaysia) today announced that Mr Chok Yue Zan, the winner of the 2017 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) Competition has been selected for the prestigious UOB-Fukuoka Asian Art Museum's (FAAM) Artists Residency Programme. The Bank made the announcement at the launch of the 2018 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) competition, which is now in its eighth year.

Each year, one artist is chosen from among the country UOB Painting of the Year winners from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand to attend the residency programme. As part of the selection process, each artist undergoes a series of rigorous interviews and a detailed review of each artist's portfolio is undertaken. The UOB-FAAM Artist Residency Programme is a month-long programme comprising workshops, lectures and exhibitions and offers artists opportunities to interact with their peers from around the world who attend or visit the FAAM in Fukuoka, Japan.

"Winning the prestigious UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) award last year gave me a huge sense of achievement. To be selected also for the UOB-FAAM Residency Programme is truly an honour for a young artist like me. I am looking forward to spending the month collaborating and learning from other international artists as well as experiencing new cultures and sharing my work with a wider audience," Mr Chok said.

Mr Chok won the 2017 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) competition for his artwork titled, 'I Thought, We Could Stay Strong Like Stones'. The 24-year-old artist impressed a panel of art experts with his technical skill and creative use of mixed media to evoke feelings of nostalgia. Through the painting, Mr Chok reinterprets his family's portrait to highlight the depth and strength of familial ties amidst the flux of life. Since winning the competition, Mr Chok's artwork was selected for exhibition at the preeminent Southeast Asian art fair, ART STAGE Singapore . His winning artwork was also the design inspiration for UOB's and its subsidiaries' 2017 Annual Report.

Mr Wong Kim Choong, Chief Executive Officer, UOB Malaysia, said, "We are delighted with Mr Chok's success as we see the importance of championing regional art through uncovering, nurturing and promoting local artistic talent internationally. Through the UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) Competition and our various art programmes, we create opportunities for artistic talent to be inspired and to pursue their passion, and over time, help develop the next generation of great Southeast Asian artists."

The FAAM is the only museum in the world that collects and exhibits modern and contemporary Asian art and has a permanent collection of more 2,900 artworks . Since the competition began running in Malaysia in 2009, three other UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) Competition winners have gone on to complete the residency programme at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum.

Call for entries to the 2018 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) competition

Entry to the 2018 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) Competition is now open. Artists, aspiring and experienced, are invited to submit their entries by filling in the entry forms and providing a photo of their artwork. Entry forms are available online at www.uobpoy.com and across UOB Malaysia branches nationwide. Submission closes on Tuesday, 28 August 2018 at 5.00 pm.

The winner of the 2018 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) award, to be announced at an award ceremony in Kuala Lumpur in October, will go on to compete for the 2018 UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year award in Singapore in November.

The 2018 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) winner will walk away with RM100,000 and stand a chance to compete for the 2018 UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year award (worth an additional US$10,000 or RM39,700), as well as a one-month residency programme at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan.

For the further details of the competition, please visit www.uobpoy.com.

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¹Mr Chok's FAAM residency programme is from 15 May to 24 June 2018.
²Sponsored by UOB, ART STAGE Singapore is a flagship art fair of Southeast Asia that kicks off the international art season every January with the very best of Asian contemporary art. The Exhibition was held in January 2018. Source: ART STAGE Singapore online
³As at 31 March 2017. Source: Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan
⁴Previous winners of the UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) competition who secured a residency at the FAAM included Mr Gan Tee Sheng, Ms Minstrel Kuik and Ms Yin Yen Sum in 2013, 2014 and 2016, respectively.