Brewing art in potpourri of Asian culture
Fifteen works from artists of the Asia Pacific Region are currently on display at the Singapore Art Museum (SAM). The artworks were selected from 130 artists from 24 countries and territories who participated at the 2011 Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize held on November 18. It comprised three categories: Grand Prize, Three Jurors’ Choice Awards and one People’s Choice Award. The best of talent from across the Asia Pacific region were honoured for their outstanding artwork at the award ceremony created in the preceding three years.
Rodel Tapaya from the Philippines was awarded the Grand Prize for his winning work Baston ni Kabunian, Bilang Pero di Mabilang (Cane of Kabunian, numbered but cannot be counted). His artwork employs imagery from Filipino folklore juxtaposed with elements of modern-day Philippines, commenting on pre-colonial myths, stories and cultural heritage as well as current issues such as environmental destruction. “The Grand Prize is a very prestigious award, and I am honoured to have been nominated alongside 14 other very talented finalists and to be chosen as the winner by a distinguished and well-respected panel of judges,” Rodel said on winning the award.
The jury panel comprised five eminent art experts, including Tan Boon Hui, director, SAM. “Rodel Tapaya’s artwork is compelling and monumental. With its multiple narratives and diverse allegorical references, his stunning mural-sized painting embodies a vibrant strain in contemporary art from the Asia Pacific region. Tapaya is audacious in his use of the Philippine mural tradition. His artwork will surely provoke discussion about emerging aesthetic tendencies in Asia Pacific. The prize-winning works are ground-breaking in their negotiation of cultural heritage and contemporary forms of expression. They are all worthy of recognition, as being among the best artworks from the region,” a SAM statement said.
Indian artist Sheba Chhachhi won the Jurors’ Choice Award for her work, The Water Diviner. “I am happy to win this award,” Sheba says. The Water Diviner tries to address and bring into mainstream a crucial issue regarding water facing India and the region. “My artwork is an immersive video installation. It uses life boxes, thousands of books and light, which is the key element. I have used blue light to create a surreal, underwater experience. When you enter the art space, you are surrounded by thousands of books, which are a metaphor for abandoned knowledge. My artwork is a juxtaposition of the present condition of water pollution,” she explains.
The triennial prize is given to artists with significant contribution to contemporary visual art in the Asia Pacific region.
The 15 shortlisted artworks will be on display at SAM till March 4, 2012.
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