Heritage art competition celebrates works of 25 young artists

 

Twenty-five young Malaysians were awarded and recognised for their immense artistic talents at The Usaha Tegas Heritage (UTH) Art Competition 2023 Award Ceremony on Tuesday (Nov 14).

This year’s competition focused on the theme of “Malaysian Heritage”, with a special emphasis on our nation’s intangible cultural heritage.

The theme was also in line with Malaysia’s entry into the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) for the 2022-2026 term.

Prizes were presented to winning artworks from five categories, namely charcoal/ink/pencil, mixed media, oil/acrylic, printmaking, and watercolour.

The first prize winners from each category were as follows:

• Charcoal/Ink/Pencil: Jasper Junior (from Universiti Malaysia Sabah) for his winning artwork entitled ‘Laga Biji Getah’.

• Watercolour: Oon Zheng Yeow (from Equator College) for his artwork entitled ‘Kuih Kapit’.

•  Oil/Acrylic: Wong Jia Jin (from Dasein Academy Of Art) for his winning entry titled ‘Reminiscence’.

• Mixed Media: Goo See Min (from Dasein Academy Of Art) for his winning submission ‘Fresh Outlook’.

• Printmaking: Ong Wen Xin (from Dasein Academy Of Art) for his piece entitled ‘Pasar’.

‘Art is meant to be shared’

UTH Art Competition 2023 chairperson Henry Tan said, “We hope this will be a milestone and inspiration for artists to continue enriching our cultural tapestry with their unique perspective.

“Art has the power to connect, to bridge, and inspire Malaysians to have greater appreciation of our rich cultural heritage and diversity. We hope these artworks continue to promote our unique heritage for generations to come.”

This year saw a record 345 physical entries, with submissions from 48 public and private institutions including nine secondary schools.

“This year, we received great submissions of diverse artworks from different perspectives and voices, especially on intangible heritage, which is truly inspiring.

“It’s wonderful to see so many young aspiring artists sharing and discovering their passion for art and heritage through this competition.

“I believe art is meant to be shared and I’ve been deeply moved by the stories that each artist has shared through their beautiful visuals,” said Bibi Chew, chief judge of the competition.

The panel of judges was made up of Chew, Suridah Jalaludin, Ar Parama Nathan, and Syahrul Niza Ahmad Zaini from the National Art Gallery.

The UTH Art Competition was established in 2001 to provide a platform for aspiring young Malaysian artists to explore and express their understanding and appreciation of our cultural heritage.

It was formerly known as the Tanjong Heritage Art Competition and was renamed the Usaha Tegas Heritage Art Competition in 2017.- Mkini