A call for peace through unity in diversity wins the 2019 UOB Painting of the Year (Indonesia) Award

Jakarta, 17 October 2019  – PT Bank UOB Indonesia (UOB Indonesia) today presented the 2019 UOB Painting of the Year (Indonesia) Award to Anagard for his painting titled Welcome Perdamaian, Goodbye Kedengkian (Welcome Peace, Goodbye Hostility). In his artwork, the 35-year-old renowned graffiti artist from Padang, West Sumatra, reflects on the nation’s motto, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, which calls for tolerance and acceptance of differences in ethnicity, culture and faith and demonstrates the nation’s unwavering commitment to honour, respect and peace in society.

Welcome Perdamaian, Goodbye Kedengkian
Anagard 2019 UOB Painting of the Year (Indonesia) Stencil spray on aluminium paint

The winning artwork was selected from among four finalists in the Established Artist category at this year’s UOB Painting of the Year (Indonesia) competition. Anagard said he was inspired by a house of prayer known as Rhema Hill (Bukit Rhema), situated in Magelang, Central Java, where people from different countries meet to explore their spiritual selves. The painting draws on the unique architecture of the prayer house with a roof shaped like the head of a dove, itself a symbol of peace, to represent multi-culturalism and tolerance in Indonesia.

Explaining his artwork, Anagard said, “Bukit Rhema exemplifies the nation’s principle of unity in diversity, reflected in the motto of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, which aims to foster harmony, unity and peace despite differences among Indonesia’s large population. As a professional artist, I want to express freely the need to be aware of and to appreciate our pluralism if we are to be true to our country’s motto. Today, I am delighted to receive the 2019 UOB Painting of the Year (Indonesia) Award and I look forward to representing Indonesia to compete for the UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year Award in Singapore next month.”

The winning artist impressed the panel of judges comprising a selection of Indonesia’s established art experts and curators. They were Agung Hujatnikajennong, an independent curator and a lecturer at the Bandung Institute of Technology, Ms Arahmaiani, a contemporary artist, and Nirwan Dewanto, a cultural critic.

Commenting on the winning artwork, Hujatnikajennong said, “Using his distinctive stencil art-making technique on aluminium, the artist draws our attention to the issues that shape society today. The traditional costume worn by the human figure is often seen in a traditional Indonesian marriage to signify the intra-cultural aspect between the two families, that is essential to celebrate our respect for diversity. This promotes the differences among individuals, all of whom belong to the same larger cultural group. Therefore, to foster the principle of unity in diversity, tolerance is key,” Hujatnikajennong said.

As the top winner of the 2019 UOB Painting of the Year (Indonesia) competition, Anagard received a cash prize of IDR250 million. His artwork will compete with the winning entries from Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand for the UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year Award which will be announced on 6 November 2019 in Singapore. Anagard will also stand a chance to win a one-month residency programme at the renowned Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan.

2019 UOB Most Promising Artist of The Year
In the Emerging Artist category, 26-year-old Muhammad Yakin won the 2019 UOB Most Promising Artist of the Year (Indonesia) award for his painting titled Human, Human, Human, Copy of Mimetic Desire. The mixed-media painting captures today’s phenomenon of modelling oneself to an idol, symbolising the desire to imitate in order to gain acceptance and recognition in society. More than this, the artwork reflects the journey of self-discovery before an individual is able to find their true identity.

Human, Human, Human, Copy of Mimetic Desire
Muhammad Yakin 2019 UOB Most Promising Artist of the Year (Indonesia) Chinese ink and acrylic paint on paper

UOB Indonesia’s Deputy President Director, Hendra Gunawan, said, “I would like to congratulate all winners for their achievements. I am pleased to see many new vibrant talent among the submissions from across the country for the UOB Painting of the Year (Indonesia) competition. We take great pride that our long-term commitment in art has helped artists across Indonesia to connect to more opportunities on the local and international art stage. Our strategic collaboration with the government and private institutions also enables us to uncover talent and to promote the next generation of artists for the community as a whole.

“Since 2011, our flagship art programme UOB Painting of the Year has enabled us to deepen our relationship with the art community as we continue to encourage the enterprising spirit and creative mind of Indonesians. We have seen how Indonesian artists have pushed their creative boundaries to the regional level and I hope that they can achieve greater success in the future and continue to inspire others,” Gunawan said.

Over the past nine years, the competition has launched the careers of many well-known artists in Indonesia including Y. Indra Wahyu, winner of the UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year in 2012, Antonius Subiyanto, winner in 2014, Anggar Prasetyo, winner in 2015, Gatot Indrajati, winner in 2016 and Suvi Wahyudianto, winner in 2018.

A total of the 50 finalist artworks, including the eight winning ones from the 2019 UOB Painting of the Year competition, will be exhibited at the Ruang Pamer Temporer, National Museum of Indonesia from 17 to 31 October 2019. The exhibition is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday, 08:00 to 16:00.

Established Artist Category

Emerging Artist Category