Minister Ong Ye Kung takes a selfie with Sukit Choosri, winner of the 2017 UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year award, and Mr Wee Ee Cheong, UOB Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
(Background: Mr Sukit Choosri’s winning artwork, ‘One Life’)

The UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year Awards that took place last night saw a Thai artist emerging as the winner for the first time.

Sukit Choosri, with his painting titled ‘One Life’, is the first Thai winner since the conception of the regional competition in 2013. Portraying the uncertainty felt by young Thais about their future amidst an increasingly competitive economic landscape, ‘One Life’ was commended by judges for both its intricate detail and painstaking tempera technique.

Now in its 36th year, the annual UOB Painting of the year competition is held across four Southeast Asian countries. The winners for the competitions in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia are Sunny Chyun for her painting ‘Dyspraxia’, Kukuh Nuswantoro for his art work ‘Kegelapan (Darkness)’, and Chok Yue Zan for his painting titled ‘I Thought, We Can Stay Strong Like Stones’ respectively.

The longest-running art contest in Singapore, the competition is UOB’s flagship art programme and is part of the bank’s efforts to recognise and promote Southeast Asian art.

The winning paintings will be exhibited at the UOB Art Gallery at UOB Plaza 1 between 16 November 2017 and end February 2018.

Read an exclusive interview with Sukit Choosri in the upcoming Dec-Feb issue of Art Republik.