For UOB Malaysia, the belief in the transformative power of art is the foundation of their UOB Painting of the Year competition, established in Singapore in 1982 – making it the longest-running in Singapore, and one of the most prestigious in South-East Asia.
“It is gratifying to see that the local art community view UOB POY as an established platform to elevate their profile regionally,” says UOB Malaysia chief executive officer Ng Wei Wei. Chong’s artwork invites viewers to contemplate the past and the present, exploring how history shapes our understanding of the world.
As an artist, he explains, he delves deeper into the complex relationship between art and money and the fluctuating value of artists and their artworks over time. Her piece, Malek and Mariana, offers a glimpse into her childhood when she accompanied her father – an educator – on his journeys to remote regions in Sarawak.