CHNG CHIN KANG
Chng Chin Kang 庄青刚 Born 1963
in Singapore. Prior to attaining his MA in Art and Education from the University
of Central England, Birmingham, United Kingdom, Chin Kang received his art
foundation at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore. Chin Kang is the
recipient of several awards, including the First Prize in the 1997 UOB Painting
of the Year Competition as well as the Jurors’ Choice in the Philip Morris ASEAN
Art Awards of the same year. He also received the 17th UOB Painting of the Year
Award in the following year. His most recent award is the Vermont Studio Center
Freemen Fellowship, USA (2003-2004) Art Award.
Source: MASS
Vegetarian Lor Mee
Singapore Art
Museum's Collection & Exhibition Scope Expands With Donation by Philip Morris
Group Of Companies
(Singapore, 21 January, 1998) - The Singapore Art Museum's work in collecting
and presenting 20th century Southeast Asian Art has received a generous boost
with a US$100,000 donation from the Philip Morris Group of Companies ASEAN Art
Awards.
The US$100, 000 will be used to acquire paintings from the 1997 ASEAN Art
Awards. The Museum is looking to acquire 28 paintings, including Tan Juat Lee, A
Wedding Gift From Mum, Chng Chin Kang, Mind One's Own Business, Ahamd Sukri
Mohamed, Insect Diskette, Zakaria B Omar, Fossil of Shame and Daniel A Couquilla,
K-H.
The Museum will feature selected works from the donation in exhibitions from the
Museum's Permanent Collection. Ten paintings from the acquisitions list will be
shown in the ASEAN Art Awards exhibition opening on 23 January. Kumari Nahappan,
Almanac Series, another work to be acquired , will be featured in the Museum's
Recent Acquisitions exhibition opening on 28 January. Chng Chin Kang, Mind One's
Own Business will be featured in Imagining Selves: A Permanent Collection
Exhibition of Southeast Asian Art later in the year. This show inaugurates a new
series of Permanent Collection exhibition featuring works drawn from the
Museum's 3,000-strong Southeast Asian art collection. Imagining Selves aims to
present an intimate portrait of Southeast Asia in modern times.
Says Mr Kwok Kian Chow, Director of Singapore Art Museum, "The Philip Morris
Group of Companies' donation helps us very significantly in expanding our
collection of Southeast Asian art, the Museum's area of specialisation.
Furthermore, the works from the ASEAN Art Awards, itself an important context
for artistic creation. The Museum would like to capture the importance of this
context in researching and presenting art development in the region."
Says Mr Robert Tay, Director of Philip Morris Singapore Pte Ltd, "Since its
inception, the ASEAN Art Awards has helped to nurture talents in Southeast Asia;
many art critics also agree that the competition has thus far succeeded in
communicating the richness of the region's cultural heritage; by giving selected
works from the Awards a place in the Permanent Collection of the Singapore Art
Museum which has the largest public collection of 20th century Southeast Asian
art internationally, we are able to further encourage the developing artists in
their important aesthetic endeavors."
The ASEAN Art Awards competition sponsored by the Philip Morris Group of
Companies, honours some of the best young painters in Southeast Asia. The 1997
ASEAN Art Award Exhibition shows the works of 35 artists who have distinguished
themselves among 2,500 year. The artists come from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia,
the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In the fourth year of its
running, the ASEAN Art Awards has provided a platform for dialogue between
artists of different nations.
The 35 paintings, which have travelled to Singapore from the Philippines, have
been presented in three sections - The Silence, The Voice and The Object -
coinciding with their aural, visual and tactile qualities in the Singapore Art
Museum. These contemporary ASEAN artworks also capture Southeast Asian
sensibilities as manifested in dance, music and craft. The exhibition will
travel to Brunei for the next leg of presentation after Singapore.
Source: SAM
MAPPING ASIA
MASS
The Modern Art Society Singapore
18th Asia International Art Show
at NIE, The Art Gallery, on
Saturday 3rd July, 2004, 3pm to 5pm
The show continues until 31st July 2004
Artists:
Ang Teck Ee
Baet Yeok Kuan
Chan Choy Har
Chng Chin Kang
Chua Ek Kay
Chua Say Hua
Choong Chee Pang
Fan Shao Hua
Hong Sek Chern
Jeremy Charles Gordon Ramsey
Leo Hee Tong
Lim Leong Seng
Lim Poh Teck
Lye Swee Koon
Ng Siok Hoon
UOB PAINTING OF THE YEAR
All 15 prize-winning and 35
highly-commended entries from the Competition are on display at the 18th UOB
Painting Of The Year Exhibition. The Exhibition also includes a collective
display of recent works by last year's Painting Of The Year Award winner, Mr
Chng Chin Kang. The Exhibition is held on the 1st, 37th and 38th Storeys of UOB
Plaza 1, 80 Raffles Place, from 27 June 1999 to 2 July 1999, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm
daily. Admission is free.
* Last year's winning painting was also a social commentary piece entitled 'She
Loves Me But She's Not My Mummy' by Mr Chng Chin Kang.
SPEECH BY DR LEE BOON YANG, MINISTER
FOR INFORMATION, COMMUNICATIONS & THE ARTS, AT THE UOB 22ND PAINTING OF THE YEAR
CEREMONY HELD ON SATURDAY, 19 JULY 2003 AT 10.30 A.M. AT THE ESPLANADE RECITAL
STUDIO
The private sector is a key stakeholder in Singapore's vision to be a Global
City for the Arts
Good morning
Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Dy Chairman & President UOB Group, and Chairman of UOB Art
Committee
Distinguished Guests
Ladies & Gentlemen
I am very happy to join you here this morning at the 22nd UOB Painting of the
Year Exhibition and Prize Presentation Ceremony.
Introduction
Let me first commend The United Overseas Bank for being a long-term partner in
the development of the arts in Singapore. The Bank initiated the UOB Painting of
the Year event in 1981. Since then, this major arts event has grown and matured.
Today it is one of the more important visual arts events in Singapore. Our
visual arts community looks forward to the competition as a key recognition of
artistic achievement and excellence. In addition, the event is probably one of
the few established platforms where young talents 18 years old and below are
identified. It is therefore an important avenue for encouraging and recognising
young emerging artists.
Many of the previous winners have continued to excel in the visual arts.
Previous Grand Prize and First Prize winners include accomplished artists such
as: Baet Yeok Kuan, Chng Chin Kang, Hong Sek Chern, and Lim Poh Teck. Among
them, several have progressed to wider local and international recognition for
their works. Hong Sek Chern, who won the First Prize (Representational Category)
in the 1999 Painting of the Year, went on to win the National Arts Council Young
Artist Award in 2000. She was also featured at last year's Sao Paulo Bienal in
Brazil. The winner of the UOB Painting of the Year award in 2001, Mr Erzan B
Adam, received a 2-year advanced standing and was enrolled into the final year
of Bachelor of Contemporary Arts at the University of Tasmania in Australia.
Besides organising the Painting of the Year event, UOB Group has also purchased
works by our budding artists through its arts-support programme that began in
1973. The Group has, over the years, amassed a colossal collection of local art
works, which are being displayed in the Group's head office building, as well as
its branches and offices world-wide. This is a very effective way to promote
Singapore art and artists.
Private sector contribution to the Arts
In recent years, we have seen a boom in arts and cultural activities. There were
about 406 visual art exhibitions and events in 1999. This rose to a record high
of 551 in 2002. The private sector had a very important role in cultivating the
arts. Private sector contribution to the arts was worth $37.1 million in 2002.
This was the same amount as 2001, in spite of the difficult economic times.
Private sector contributions were channelled to various activities and projects
including developing appreciation among arts audiences, developing and grooming
arts and culture professionals, and organising arts activities such as Nokia
Singapore Art and, of course, the UOB Painting of the Year.
Companies that have partnered the people and public sector in promoting the arts
are key stakeholders in making Singapore a Global City for the Arts. I hope to
see more private companies coming forward to support the arts. Let me give you
three reasons why companies should be partners in developing the arts.
First, business support makes a crucial difference to arts organisations.
Government alone is not able to provide all the support needed by the arts
community. This is not only the case in Singapore but is also seen in other
countries which have longer history and experience in developing their arts and
culture. The US stands out as the country with the most active business support
for the arts. A recent report in the Globe stated that the private sector gave
about $8 billion to the arts compared to $750 million from the federal, state
and local governments. This is astonishing. In the UK, the private sector
contributes about 20% of the national spending on the arts. It is clear that
corporate support is vital for the growth and dynamism of the arts. Corporate
sponsorships and donations will enable arts organisations and artists to expand
their horizons and better express their creativity. The partnerships with
companies also enhance the reputation and standing of these artists and arts
organisations, and enable them to make long term plans. Business support thus
helps to stimulate and enhance public exposure, interaction and dialogue about
the arts. In other word, it helps to generate an artistic buzz and bring the
city to life. This creative and cultural vibrancy will be an important stimulus
with far reaching impact across all sectors of society and the economy.
Second, companies that support the arts gain a market advantage. The value of a
company's brand will improve significantly in society when it is regularly
associated with the arts. You will gain wider exposure and be perceived by
clients to have reached a certain level of sophistication. The National Arts
Council's surveys show a fast increasing interest in the arts among
Singaporeans. The arts are therefore an additional channel to reach out to
customers and generate consumer appeal.
Last but not least, corporate involvement with the arts is seen as a company
sharing its success with the community. Corporate support and sponsorship for
the arts often results in bringing artistic events within the reach of more
people. This will foster goodwill and greater brand loyalty for the corporate
sponsors.
Making better connections between businesses and the arts
I am confident that more business people are becoming aware of the benefits of
arts partnerships. In addition, more arts organisations are developing the
skills and confidence to engage businesses as sponsors. There is, however, a lot
more scope to increase the connections between businesses and the arts.
While the level of support from Singapore businesses is commendable, the
proportion of businesses currently supporting the arts appears to be small,
because many businesses still do not understand the benefits of arts
partnerships. Hence the added importance of events such as today's UOB Painting
of the Year Exhibition to illustrate the synergism between businesses and the
arts so that more corporations will begin to appreciate the value of this
partnership.
Conclusion
I am happy that the UOB Group shares our vision to establish Singapore as a
Global City for the Arts. The efforts of the UOB Group have allowed many local
artists to develop their craft and reach out to a bigger audience. This year,
photography has been added as an Award category. This is very timely. Among the
visual arts exhibitions in Singapore, the number of photography exhibitions in
2002 doubled that in 2001, from 35 to 69. I commend the Competition for
including photography.
Before I end, permit me to congratulate UOB Group, in particular, Mr Wee Ee
Cheong, Chairman of UOB Art Committee and your colleagues for your dedication
and commitment in organising the Painting of the Year event. I also congratulate
the winners of the 22nd UOB Painting of the Year Competition and wish you every
success as you forge ahead. Thank you.