Cheong Kiet Cheng exhibits her first art collection since winning the 2018 UOB (Malaysia) Painting of the Year Competition
Exhibition focuses on the spiritual realm through black ink series
Kuala Lumpur, 29 August 2019 – United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Bhd (UOB Malaysia) today announced that Ms Cheong Kiet Cheng, the winner of the 2018 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) competition, has launched an exhibition focused on spirituality titled, ‘Dust and The Silence in the Sun’. This is her first solo exhibition since winning the competition last October.
Ms Cheong’s exhibition, which features a collection of 20 ink-on-canvas drawings, is inspired by her artwork that earned her the top prize at the 2018 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) competition. Similar to her winning artwork titled, ‘Through the Eye of the Flower’, this exhibition comprises a series of intricate drawings in black ink on canvas and through nature-inspired symbolism depicts the spiritual realm. Ms Cheong hopes that the details in her spiritual and dream-like artwork would draw in the viewer for closer exploration while evoking a sense of peace and tranquillity.
Explaining the creativity behind the exhibition, Ms Cheong said, “I am very much inspired by meditation and spirituality. Spiritualism is important to me and my work and I hope to spread positive energy through the details in each piece. In fact, the name of the exhibition refers to the tranquillity in watching the gentle and peaceful movements of dust floating in mid-air. The monochrome black ink suggests what is pure and simple while the repetitive motions in the drawing are similar to meditation techniques.”
The 38-year-old artist is also the recipient of the UOB-Fukuoka Asian Art Museum (FAAM) Artist Residency Programme and spent a month collaborating and learning from renowned and international artists, as well as experiencing a new culture and sharing her work with a wider audience in Japan. The artist-in-residence is selected from the UOB Painting of the Year country winners through a rigorous interview process and a detailed review of their body of work by an international panel of judges.
Mr Wong Kim Choong, Chief Executive Officer, UOB Malaysia, said, “We are pleased to see how Ms Cheong’s career has progressed and are proud to be supporting her in her first exhibition since she won the UOB Painting of the Year Competition last year. Through the annual UOB Painting of the Year competition programme, we support artists and promote their talent at home and across the region. We also continue to support the arts through our partnerships with leading art institutions and through our community outreach programmes to uncover and to nurture the next generation of great Southeast Asian artists.”
Ms Cheong’s ‘Dust and The Silence in the Sun’ exhibition, can be viewed at Wei-Ling Contemporary, Gardens Mall Kuala Lumpur from now until 22 September 2019. Admission is free from Tuesdays to Sundays at 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
UOB Malaysia will announce the winner of the 2019 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) Competition on 16 October 2019. The winner will receive RM100,000 and go on to compete for the 2019 UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year award in Singapore in November 2019. The 2019 UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year award winner will receive an additional US$10,000 and the chance to attend the one-month residency programme at the FAAM. For more details of the competition, please visit www.uobpoy.com