RI artists leave ASEAN awards trophy-less

RI artists leave ASEAN awards trophy-less

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

This year's ASEAN Arts Awards, which took place here on May 9,
were a complete disappointment for the host country, Indonesia,
whose five entrants won no recognition.

"It's a shame. I am disappointed," said artist Ay Tjoe
Christine, whose work Pilgrim King (pencil, pastels and gouache
on canvas) was nominated.

With a total of US$150,000 in prize money, there is a reason
the ASEAN Art Awards have been called the Rolls Royce of art
competitions in the region.

On top of cash prizes for the top five winners at the
respective national levels -- in Indonesia's case a total of Rp
90 million (about $9,677) -- the lure of the $15,000 grand prize
and the $5,000 juror's choice awards for five winners is
overwhelming.

Another Indonesian artist, S. Teddy D., even apologized to the
public for not winning a prize, and added a mournful "I won't be
getting married this year after all".

However, what perhaps was more valuable than the prize money
was the experience, the exposure to and the interactions with so
many leading art administrators, artists and thinkers.

Just take a look at the lineup of judges for this year's
awards, lead by artist and cultural commentator Patricia Hoffie
of Australia.

There was artist and writer Yulin Lee from Taiwan; Emily Sano,
the director of the Asian Museum in San Francisco; art writer,
broadcaster and television and cinema consultant Philippe Piguet
of France; and Han-Kook Kim of Korea, an artist and a professor
at Kangnung National University.

None of the judges came from participating countries to ensure
neutrality, the corporate affairs manager of PT Philip Morris
Indonesia, Geroard Jusuf said, adding that it was also hoped the
artworks could be exhibited across the globe with the help of the
international panel of judges.

"I entered (the competition) looking for experience; I wanted
to know how far my work has progressed compared to other
artists," Christine said.

Not winning a prize herself, she views the awards as a good
opportunity to interact with artists from other countries, and to
study the trends and the impacts of their respective societies on
their work.

"I realize now just how much the environment effects an
artist's work; with a different environment the resulting artwork
is also very different. But we all have our own strengths and
individual abilities," Christine reflected.

The ASEAN Art Awards, sponsored by the Philip Morris Group of
Companies, was first organized in 1994 to promote contact and
interaction between the arts communities in the member countries
of the Association of South East Asian Nations.

The competition is open to artists above the age of 18 from
Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar. New ASEAN members Laos and
Cambodia only took part in the exhibition.

Over the years, the awards have had a positive impact on the
development of ASEAN art; after taking part as observers in 1998,
the following year Laos held its first national painting
competition, formed the Laos Association of Artists and opened
more galleries in Vientiane and Luang Prabang.

The awards have attracted more than 20,000 artists and 250,000
art enthusiasts to interact, experience and share their love of
art with one another, said the president of Philip Morris Asia
Ltd., Ellis Woodward.

This year's grand prize winner, Singapore's Francis Ng Teck
Yong, was another eye-opener for the region's art world. The 26-
year-old's winning work, titled Constructing Construction #1, is
actually a 183 x 4 cm color photographic print (C-type).

It was the first photograph to ever win a prize in the history
of the ASEAN Art Awards.

Changes in competition rules during the last few years have
brought a wider range of creativity to the competition, including
in the choices of material.

"Although the competition stipulates that works should be two-
dimensional, artists in this competition have continued to
stretch the rules in terms of materials and treatment," one of
the judges, Patricia Hoffie, said.

Media extended from computer parts to natural fibers, from
traditional oil on canvas to assemblage and photography, all of
which are acceptable and in line with international art criteria,
Emily Sano, a judge from the United States, said.

The five juror's choice winners were Jaruwat Boonwaedlom of
Thailand with New Vision on Culture (oil on canvas); Benjamin
Dayrit Elayda III of the Philippines with Valorized and
Commodified Curio (mixed media); Aung Myint of Myanmar with
Homage to Mothers (acrylic on shan paper and canvas); Mohammad
Suhaimi bin Tohid of Malaysia with Journey (mixed media); and
Nguyen Quoc Huy of Vietnam with Liberation Road (lacquer).

An exhibition of the works from this year's awards were put on
display at the Bali International Convention Center in Nusa Dua,
Bali, from May 9 to May 11. The exhibition will then move to the
ASEAN Secretariat in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, from May 27
to June 8.