The winners of the UOB Painting of the Year 2018 with Guest-of-Honour Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and Ministry of Transport and Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and Group CEO, UOB

United Overseas Bank (UOB) has awarded the 2018 UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year award to Indonesian artist Mr Suvi Wahyudianto for his painting titled Angs’t (ANGST). Mr Wahyudianto’s painting was chosen from among the national winners of the UOB Painting of the Year competitions held in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Through his painting, the 26-year-old artist examined the themes of social harmony, empathy and the importance of embracing racial and cultural differences following the inter-ethnic tensions in Sampit, Central Kalimantan in February 2001.

Suvi Wahyudianto, winner of UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year 2018 with Guest-of-Honour Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and Ministry of Transport and Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and Group CEO, UOB

Mr Khairulddin Bin Abdul Wahab, was presented the 2018 UOB Painting of the Year (Singapore) award for his painting titled Rite of Passage. Using acrylic on linen, Rite of Passage depicts a scene from an oil bath ritual practised in Silat Gayong, a style of martial arts from Malaysia. Silat Gayong practitioners rub hot oil over their bare bodies as a physical and spiritual test to withstand pain – a ceremony that requires patience and confidence.

Khairulddin Bin Abdul Wahab, winner of UOB Painting of the Year (Singapore) with Guest-of-Honour Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and Ministry of Transport and Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and Group CEO, UOB

“Just as we stay committed to supporting business in the region, we do likewise with art. This is because we believe that art plays an essential role in the strengthening of community bonds and connects people by celebrating cultures across language, space and time.” said Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and Group CEO, UOB.

The annual UOB Painting of the Year competition, now in its 37th year, is the Bank’s flagship art programme and is also the longest running art competition in Singapore. Over the years, the UOB Painting of the Year competition has launched the careers of well-known artists in Singapore and the region including winners of the prestigious Singapore Cultural Medallion winners − Mr Goh Beng Kwan, Mr Anthony Poon and Mr Chua Ek Kay.

The winners received their awards at a ceremony held at the Victoria Theatre in Singapore on 1 November 2018. The Guest of Honour was Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and Ministry of Transport.