LASALLE graduands Shirly Koh (BA(Hons) Fine Arts) and Jordi Fornies (MA Fine Arts) were announced as the winners of the Chan-Davies Art Prize on 19 May 2016, in conjunction with the opening of The LASALLE Show 2016 Exhibition.

There were 9 applications from the MA Fine Arts graduating class at LASALLE College of the Arts, of which 4 were shortlisted and interviewed, and 15 applications from the BA(Hons) Fine Arts graduating class of which 6 were shortlisted and interviewed. The judges noted that all the graduates interviewed demonstrated a strong ability to articulate and give a voice to their practice and artwork.

Angie Chan commented on the winners, “Jordi impressed the judges with the extent to which he merged his interests in art, technology, music and sound to create fascinating pieces. Shirly’s work, based on her observations of her natural environment, is deliberately understated but very considered.”

Angie Chan added, “I was struck with the quality of all the applications and am looking forward to working with both Jordi and Shirly in the coming year.”

Hazel Lim, Programme Leader, BA(Hons) Fine Arts commented, “This is the second edition of the Chan-Davies Art Prize, and we have opened it up to the MA Fine Arts cohort this year as well, allowing us to support more young artists. We’re very happy to continue this partnership with Chan Hampe Galleries and VADA, who share LASALLE’s vision of building capacity, cultivating and promoting contemporary art in Singapore. The prize will give these outstanding graduates an essential boost from industry as they grow as artists and develop their careers.”

Each artist will hold a solo exhibition in early 2017.