March 26, 2023

Tag: AWD

Arts

DMCC’s Ahmed Bin Sulayem is Recipient of JNA Awards 2014’s Outstanding Contribution Award

HONG KONG, Aug. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — JNA (Jewellery News Asia), organiser of the JNA Awards, is pleased to announce that Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre), is the recipient of the 2014 Outstanding Contribution Award.

 

JNA Awards logo 2014
Ahmed Bin Sulayem

Ahmed Bin Sulayem

Bin Sulayem, the second individual to be receiving this annual accolade, will be honoured at the JNA Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner on 16 September at the InterContinental Hong Kong. The much-anticipated awards event, the culmination of a year-long process, will be held alongside the world’s No. 1 fine jewellery event, the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair.

Bin Sulayem’s accomplishments have had an extraordinarily positive and enduring impact, not only on DMCC and Dubai, but on the global gemstone and jewellery industry, according to Letitia Chow, Chair of the JNA Awards judging panel.

Chow added, “Under Ahmed Bin Sulayem’s leadership, DMCC has enhanced the flow of diamonds, precious metals, pearls and other commodities through Dubai – one of the world’s leading trade hubs. His vision and boldness in executing his role at DMCC has led to the expansion of the global commodities sector.

His leadership has not only established Dubai as a major commodities trading hub, but also promoted synergistic collaboration with trading partners in Asia.”

Under Bin Sulayem’s guidance, Dubai has become one of the leading diamond trading centres in the world – ideally positioned, geographically and operationally, to serve a pivotal role in the “New Silk Road.”

Commenting on the award, Bin Sulayem said: “It is an honour to accept this prestigious award on behalf of DMCC and Dubai as testament to the strength and leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. It is his vision that has enabled DMCC to establish Dubai as the global hub for commodities trade and enterprise, and in doing so making the most of the Emirate’s geographical location between the jewellery and gemstone-producing and consuming countries.”

Bin Sulayem continued, “Today’s gold trade through Dubai has grown from US$6 billion in 2003 to US$75 billion in 2013. The diamond industry has equally grown to some US$39 billion, and Dubai today is ranked among the world’s top three marketplaces for rough and polished diamonds. We are proud to have achieved this in just 10 short years.

“We look forward to continuing on this strong growth trajectory and to further collaborate with our trading partners in mainland China, Hong Kong, as well as other Asian key market players to maximise on the many opportunities that lie ahead.”

Bin Sulayem joined DMCC in 2001 and has since introduced revolutionary infrastructure such as Almas Tower, the tallest commercial tower in the Middle East purpose-built for the diamond trade; and a number of successful products and services, including the establishment of the DMCC Free Zone, the Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) the Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE), and other services such as gold refineries, gold and diamond vaults, and the UAE Gold Bullion Coins which were designed to celebrate the accomplishments and vision of the UAE’s leaders. Bin Sulayem has also played a leading role in reviving Dubai’s traditional pearling industry by launching the Dubai Pearl Exchange in 2007. In just over a decade, DMCC has enabled the flow of trade through Dubai to grow immensely while positioning its free zone as the global gateway for commodities trade and enterprise.

Now in its third year, the JNA Awards is an industry-wide event that honours and recognises excellence and achievement in the global jewellery trade with an Asian focus. In 2013, it conferred the Outstanding Contribution of the Year Award to celebrated jewellery master and sculptor Wallace Chan, who has made a significant impact on the global haute joaillerie scene following his spectacular debut at the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris in 2012.

For the Awards’ 2014 edition, a total of 29 companies and six individuals from 11 countries and regions have been shortlisted across 16 categories.

The event has received an overwhelming response in attendance to the night of the awards ceremony and gala dinner. For more information on the event and past award recipients, please visit www.JNAawards.com.

Notes for Editors:

1. About JNA (www.jewellerynewsasia.com)

JNA is the flagship magazine of UBM Asia’s Jewellery Group. First published in 1983, the title is the leader in providing up-to-date international jewellery trade news with an Asian insight. It features original, in-depth reports by experienced journalists covering the latest developments in the diamond, pearl, gemstone, jewellery manufacturing, and equipment and supplies sectors.

2. About the Headline Partners

2.1 Rio Tinto Diamonds (www.riotintodiamonds.com)

Rio Tinto operates a fully integrated diamonds business from exploration through to sales and marketing. It is one of the world’s major diamond producers through its 100 percent control of the Argyle mine in Australia, 60 percent interest in Diavik mine in Canada, 78 percent interest in the Murowa mine in Zimbabwe and 100 percent interest in the Bunder project in India.

Rio Tinto’s share of the production from its three operating diamond mines is sold through its sales and marketing office in Antwerp, with representative offices in Mumbai, Hong Kong and New York. It also operates a niche cutting and polishing factory in Perth for the rare pink diamonds from its Argyle mine. Rio Tinto is a leading supporter of the Kimberley Process, as well as a founding member of the Responsible Jewellery Council.

2.2 Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited (www.chowtaifook.com)

Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Ltd, a leading jeweller in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, was listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in December 2011 and has become the world’s largest pure-play jeweller by market capitalisation. Chow Tai Fook is now a constituent stock of the Hang Seng China 50 Index and the Hang Seng Mainland 100 Index. Its principal products are mass luxury jewellery and high-end luxury jewellery products including gem-set jewellery, gold products, platinum and karat gold product, and watches.

The Group’s iconic brand “Chow Tai Fook” and 85 years of operations represent key competitive advantages of its business. The Chow Tai Fook brand is recognised for its trustworthiness and authenticity, and renowned for its product design, quality and value.

The Group has an extensive retail network, with over 2,100 points of sale in more than 470 cities in Greater China, Singapore and Malaysia. It also has a growing presence in e-commerce. The Group’s vertically integrated business model provides an effective and tight control over the entire operation chain from raw material procurement, design, production, to marketing and sales through its extensive retail network.

3. About the Honoured Partners

3.1 Diarough Group (www.diarough.com)

Diarough Group was established in Antwerp in 1975 and owns diamond polishing factories in China, India, Thailand and Botswana, with a network of sales offices around the world. Diarough is known among the most professional and respected names in the international diamond industry.

Diarough believes in building and nurturing long-term business relationships based on mutual trust, finding solutions to business and marketing problems, creating marketable opportunities through innovative products and providing excellent client services.

Its jewellery manufacturing unit Uni-Design has produced many award-winning jewellery pieces, which have been proudly worn by celebrities on the red carpet over the years.

The Group employs over 3,500 people and is engaged in a wide range of diamond business activities like rough trading, cutting, polishing, jewellery manufacturing and marketing to retailers, chain stores, global brands and private labels worldwide. Diarough employs advanced technology and modern work speed with traditional ethical business practices upon which the Company was founded.

3.2 Gubelin Group (www.gubelin.com)

Since 1854, the name Gubelin has stood for the very highest standards in gemstones, jewellery and watches. With its selection of the most sought-after timepieces and jewellery of its own design, the family-run business is represented at all the prime locations in Switzerland: Lucerne, Zurich, Basel, Bern, St. Moritz, Lugano and Geneva. Last November, Gubelin Jewellery established its presence in Hong Kong.

Besides the jewellery boutiques and the Gubelin Ateliers, the group has a newly-established Academy and a world-renowned Gemmological Laboratory. The Gubelin Gem Lab is one of the oldest and most respected institutions of its kind, relied on by dealers, auction houses, royal families and collectors since the 1920s.

3.3 KARP Group (http://www.karpjewellery.com/)

With over four decades of experience and expertise in the diamond trade, KARP caters to international luxury brands. Apart from being a DTC Sightholder, the group is recognised as an “institution” in the industry, using the most technologically advanced manufacturing systems in the business. KARP manufactures a huge array of products, from 0.005-carat goods to stones weighing 10 carats and above.

It excels in the production of certified fine makes, fancy-cut goods and fancy coloured diamonds. The manufacturer is one of the few companies that has achieved up to 5-micron precision in diamond manufacturing.

3.4 Paspaley Pearling Company (www.paspaley.com)

Paspaley Pearling Company is the leading producer of Australian South Sea pearls, supplying strands, loose pearls and mother-of-pearl shells to many of the world’s leading jewellery wholesalers, manufacturers and retailers.

The Paspaley family became involved in pearling in the 1920s and is the world’s only South Sea pearl producer with origins in the natural pearl industry. Paspaley Pearling Company Pty Ltd was incorporated in 1953 and built its success and reputation as a pioneer in the cultivation of South Sea pearls. Today, the Company sets the benchmark for modern pearling practices, operating numerous pearl farms dotted along more than 2,500 kilometres of the remote and pristine coastline of north-west Australia.

Paspaley’s harvest represents the majority of Australian South Sea pearl production and has a well-deserved reputation for exceptional quality.

3.5 Shanghai Diamond Exchange (www.cnsde.com)

Authorised by the State Council, the Shanghai Diamond Exchange (SDE) is the only diamond exchange in China and provides diamond dealers a fair and safe transaction venue under close supervision. It also enjoys a favourable taxation policy and is operated in accordance with international best practices of the diamond industry.

Established in 2000, the SDE is a non-profit, self-regulating membership organisation and a member of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses.

3.6 The Israel Diamond Institute (www.israelidiamond.co.il)

The Israel Diamond Institute Group of Companies (IDI) is a non-profit, public interest company representing all institutions involved in the Israeli Diamond Industry. Israel is one of the world’s leading diamond centres, and the Israeli diamond industry has an illustrious history dating back to the late 1930s.

IDI works for the benefit of Israel’s diamond industry in the areas of marketing and business promotion, international communications, R&D, rough sourcing, professional training, publishing and security consultancy. IDI is responsible for industry participation in major trade fairs around the world, organising Israeli Diamond Pavilions, receptions, press conferences and other events at these fairs.

IDI operates a representative office in Hong Kong, which fosters trade relations with Asian markets.

3.7 The Guangdong Land Holdings Limited (www.gdland.com.hk/en)

The Guangdong Land Holdings Limited (GDLAND), with its headquarter in Hong Kong, is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, and is a subsidiary of GDH Limited, which is Guangdong Province’s largest conglomerate operating outside Mainland China.

The principal business of GDLAND is property development and investment, including but not limited to the development and operational management of the innovative commercial real estate, urban complex and industrial business complex. As the strategic arm of GDH Limited, GDLAND engages in the business development of commercial real estate, as well as the projects of urban and industrial complex.

GDLAND’s flagship project, namely the “Buxin Project”, is planned to become the biggest and most advanced jewellery mart in the world, including a large-scale jewellery trading and exhibition centre along with other facilities, with a lot size of over 87,000 square metres. The Buxin Project, which is located in the Buxin area of Luohu district in Central Shenzhen, close to the Shuibei Gold and Jewellery Base, is expected to develop the area into one of the most influential gold and jewellery trading and exchange platforms in China and around the world.

4. About UBM Asia

Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is Asia’s leading exhibition organiser and the biggest commercial organiser in mainland China, India and Malaysia. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and in the US, UBM Asia has a strong global presence in 24 major cities with 30 offices and over 1,300 staff.

With a track record spanning over 30 years, UBM Asia operates in 20 market sectors with 160 dynamic face-to-face exhibitions, 75 high-level professional conferences, 28 targeted trade publications, 18 round-the-clock vertical portals and virtual event services for over 1,000,000 quality exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and subscribers from all over the world. We provide a one-stop diversified global service for high-value business matching, quality market news and online trading networks.

UBM Asia has extensive office networks in China, Southeast Asia and India, three of the world’s fastest growing B2B events markets. UBM China has 11 offices in the major cities in mainland China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Shenzhen, where we organise more than 70 exhibitions and conferences. In ASEAN, UBM Asia operates from its offices in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines with over 60 events in this region. UBM India teams in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai organise 20 exhibitions and 60 conferences every year across the country.

For more information, contact:

JNA Awards Marketing
UBM Asia (Hong Kong
+852-2516-2184
marketing@jnaawards.com

Photo – http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20140828/8521404865 
Logo – http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2010/04/19/20100419602891.jpg
Logo – http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20140414/8521402187LOGO

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Golden Teardrop by Arin Rungjang from Thailand Shortlisted as Finalist in Third Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize

15 finalists vying for SGD 60,000 Grand Prize revealed today

BANGKOK, Aug. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation today announced the 15 finalists of the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize 2014. Now in its third installment, the prize spotlights the most compelling contemporary artworks created by artists in the Asia Pacific region over the last three years.

 

Selected by a panel of five eminent judges from around the region, the finalists’ works were chosen from 105 nominated artworks from 24 countries and territories. Innovative and exciting creations from recent years, the contemporary artworks represent the very best of the region and are intentionally not limited by genre. Spanning various mediums from painting to sculpture, photography, video works and performance art, they each address topical issues and collectively shed light not just on our region’s contemporary art landscape but also on the topics and conversations relevant in our society today.

The 15 finalists represent 13 countries and territories including Thailand, South Korea, Pakistan, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, mainland China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia, India, Bangladesh and Taiwan. They include:

  • Golden Teardrop (2013) by Arin Rungjang from Thailand
  • Custos Cavum (Guardian of the hole) (2011) by Choe U-Ram from South Korea
  • Kahani Eik Shehr Ki (story of a city) (2012) by Farida Batool from Pakistan
  • One places / on “the room” (2013) by Go Watanabe from Japan
  • PYTHAGORAS (2013) by Ho Tzu Nyen from Singapore
  • In Pursuit of Venus (2012) by Lisa Reihana from New Zealand
  • Trace (2011) by Liu Jianhua from mainland China
  • I’m a Ghost in My Own House (2012) by Melati Suryodarmo from Indonesia
  • Rankin Street, 1953 (2013) by Naeem Mohaiemen from Bangladesh
  • Unsubtitled (2013) by Nguyen Trinh Thi from Vietnam
  • Infinite Love (2011) by Owen Leong from Australia
  • Letters From A Distance (20122014) by Peng Wei from mainland China
  • House of Opaque Water (2013) by Ranbir Kaleka from India
  • Mirage — Disused Public Property in Taiwan (20102013) by Yao Jui-Chung + Lost Society Document (LSD) from Taiwan
  • Eskimo wolf trap often quoted in sermons (2013) by Zhao Renhui from Singapore

(For detailed artist’ statements and biographies, please visit http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/apbfSAP2014.html)

Selecting this year’s Finalists is a judging panel comprising Mr. Chris Saines, Director of Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art; Mr. Feng Boyi, eminent independent art curator and critic of Chinese contemporary art; Ms. Luckana Kunavichayanont, Director of Bangkok Art and Culture Center; Ms. Pooja Sood, Director of KHOJ International Artists’ Association; and Dr. Susie Lingham, Director of Singapore Art Museum.

A statement from the jury panel stated, “We’re excited to be presenting the finalists of the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize 2014. Narrowing the choice from over 100 works to the final 15 involved a rigorous selection process and intensive discussions — testament to the high caliber of entries that were refined, rich and diverse. Overall, the 15 works selected offer a glimpse of the future of our region’s rich and constantly evolving contemporary art scene. The finalist works stood out for their strength of concept and execution and despite stemming from such diverse contexts, histories and cultural backgrounds, cleverly explored similar issues of identity, immigration, urban expansion, depletion of natural resources, fading of old values, cultural diversity and more.”

The work by Arin Rungjang, the only Thai artist shortlisted for the prestigious title, is a video installation that debuted at the Venice Biennale as part of the Thai Pavilion in 2014. Golden Teardrop revisits pivotal moments in Thai history and looks at the human movement and the exchange of cultures.

Other finalists works include Melati Suryodarmo’s I’m a Ghost in My Own House, an intense and powerful 12-hour long performance that sees the artist grind and crush hundreds of kilograms of charcoal, a symbol of life’s energy while Australian Owen Leong’s Infinite Love, a visceral and poetic performance, explores the body as a physical site for social, cultural and political forces in relation to his Asian-Australian identity.

Employing the use of meditative visuals, Go Watanabe’s One places / on “the room” presents a technically challenging and deeply absorbing piece that changes the way we look at time and space; Ranbir Kaleka’s House of Opaque Water uses a narrative structure to present the idea of displacement and society’s response to these situations; and New Zealander Lisa Reihana’s work In Pursuit of Venus reflects the beauty of the Pacific Islands while offering a nuanced critique of its colonial legacies.

Works shortlisted from Singapore include Ho Tzu Nyen’s PYTHAGORAS, a creation that serves as an immersive experience for audiences to explore the concept of the unseen and the concealment of power, sound or the voice; while Zhao Renhui’s seemingly minimalist installation titled Eskimo wolf trap often quoted in sermons, draws on his experience of traveling through the Arctic and being overwhelmed by its starkness. From mainland China the works shortlisted include Liu Jianhua’s Trace, a striking piece inspired by the traditional art forms of calligraphy and porcelain to comment on societal ills and Peng Wei’s Letters from a Distance, which is steeped in traditional practices and utilizes Chinese aesthetic objects like scrolls and leaves melded together with texts from Western philosophers.

And from South Korea, Choe U-Ram’s Custos Cavum (Guardian of the hole) takes the form of a mesmerizing and highly imaginative sculpture that depicts a mythical creature that is at once from the past yet also from an apocalyptic future.

Exemplifying how art has the power to highlight a social issue for scrutiny and exact real change, Yao Jui-Chung & Lost Society Document (LSD)’s Mirage — Disused Public Property in Taiwan is an investigative political work on Taiwan’s ‘mosquito halls’ while Nguyen Trinh Thi’s Unsubtitled looks at freedom of expression through an installation about Nhan Van-Giai Pham — a suppressed literary movement of the 1950s.

Finally, exploring spaces and places, Pakistan’s Farida Batool’s Kahani Eik Shehr Ki (story of a city) brings viewers on a walk down a busy city street in Lahore, capturing the side of a city that people may not know of via 21 long lenticular prints while Naeem Mohaiemen of Bangladesh presents Rankin Street, 1953, an intimate work that reveals the artist’s memories of his family using his family home as the subject and uncovering the past through vintage photograph negatives.

The APB Foundation Signature Art Prize is worth $100,000 with $60,000 awarded to the Grand Prize winner and $15,000 each for two Jurors’ Choice Award winners. A People’s Choice Award of $10,000 will also be offered to the artwork that receives the highest number of public votes via on-site and online submissions (voting opens from 14 November 2014).

The APB Foundation Signature Art Prize Exhibition will take place at SAM from 14 November 2014 to 15 March 2015 with the winners announced at an awards ceremony on 22 January 2015. For more information, please visit the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize webpage at http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/apbfSAP2014.html.

About the Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation

Instituted in June 1994, the APB Foundation seeks to ignite compassion and inspire through our philanthropic efforts. We set resources in motion to help people and organisations improve talents, enhanced educational and research endeavours as well as better living conditions. In turn, we fuel society and enable the communities, where we live and work, to flourish.

Committed to supporting Human Excellence, Creativity Development and Humanitarian Causes, the APB Foundation is involved in a variety of initiatives that range from arts funding and backing talent-building projects for human capital development, to engaging in meaningful partnerships with organisations or individuals who share our common goal to serve the society.

The APB Foundation is a registered charity managed and funded by Heineken Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (HEINEKEN Asia Pacific).

About the Singapore Art Museum

The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) focuses on contemporary art practice in Singapore, Southeast Asia and Asia within the global context. It advocates and makes accessible interdisciplinary contemporary art through research-led and evolving curatorial practice. Opened in January 1996, SAM has built up one of the most important collections of contemporary art from the region. It seeks to seed and nourish a stimulating and creative space in Singapore through exhibitions and public programmes. These encompass cross-disciplinary residencies and exchanges, research and publications, as well as outreach and education. SAM was the organiser of the Singapore Biennale in 2011 and 2013.

SAM was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 13 November 2013 and has moved from the National Heritage Board to the Visual Arts Cluster (VAC) under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY). The other institutions under the VAC are the National Art Gallery, Singapore (NAGS), and the Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI).

For more information and images of the artists and judges, please contact:

Kimberly Mah

Lynn Sim

Ogilvy Public Relations

Singapore Art Museum

DID: +65-62139940

DID: +65-66979762

Email: kimberly.mah@ogilvy.com

Email: lynn.sim@singaporeartmuseum.sg

Janet Neo

Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation

DID: +65-62763488

Email: janet.neo@heineken.com

Logo – http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20140826/8521404797LOGO-a
Logo – http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20140826/8521404797LOGO-b

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In Pursuit of Venus by Lisa Reihana from New Zealand Shortlisted as Finalist in Third Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize

15 finalists vying for SGD 60,000 Grand Prize revealed today

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Aug. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation today announced the 15 finalists of the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize 2014. Now in its third installment, the prize spotlights the most compelling contemporary artworks created by artists in the Asia Pacific region over the last three years.

 

Selected by a panel of five eminent judges from around the region, the finalists’ works were chosen from 105 nominated artworks from 24 countries and territories. Innovative and exciting creations from recent years, the contemporary artworks represent the very best of the region and are intentionally not limited by genre. Spanning various mediums from painting to sculpture, photography, video works and performance art, they each address topical issues and collectively shed light not just on our region’s contemporary art landscape but also on the topics and conversations relevant in our society today.

The 15 finalists represent 13 countries and territories including Thailand, South Korea, Pakistan, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, mainland China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia, India, Bangladesh and Taiwan. They include:

  • Golden Teardrop (2013) by Arin Rungjang from Thailand
  • Custos Cavum (Guardian of the hole) (2011) by Choe U-Ram from South Korea
  • Kahani Eik Shehr Ki (story of a city) (2012) by Farida Batool from Pakistan
  • One places / on “the room” (2013) by Go Watanabe from Japan
  • PYTHAGORAS (2013) by Ho Tzu Nyen from Singapore
  • In Pursuit of Venus (2012) by Lisa Reihana from New Zealand
  • Trace (2011) by Liu Jianhua from mainland China
  • I’m a Ghost in My Own House (2012) by Melati Suryodarmo from Indonesia
  • Rankin Street, 1953 (2013) by Naeem Mohaiemen from Bangladesh
  • Unsubtitled (2013) by Nguyen Trinh Thi from Vietnam
  • Infinite Love (2011) by Owen Leong from Australia
  • Letters From A Distance (20122014) by Peng Wei from mainland China
  • House of Opaque Water (2013) by Ranbir Kaleka from India
  • Mirage — Disused Public Property in Taiwan (20102013) by Yao Jui-Chung + Lost Society Document (LSD) from Taiwan
  • Eskimo wolf trap often quoted in sermons (2013) by Zhao Renhui from Singapore

(For detailed artist’ statements and biographies, please visit http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/apbfSAP2014.html)

Selecting this year’s Finalists is a judging panel comprising Mr. Chris Saines, Director of Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art; Mr. Feng Boyi, eminent independent art curator and critic of Chinese contemporary art; Ms. Luckana Kunavichayanont, Director of Bangkok Art and Culture Center; Ms. Pooja Sood, Director of KHOJ International Artists’ Association; and Dr. Susie Lingham, Director of Singapore Art Museum.

A statement from the jury panel stated, “We’re excited to be presenting the finalists of the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize 2014. Narrowing the choice from over 100 works to the final 15 involved a rigorous selection process and intensive discussions — testament to the high caliber of entries that were refined, rich and diverse. Overall, the 15 works selected offer a glimpse of the future of our region’s rich and constantly evolving contemporary art scene. The finalist works stood out for their strength of concept and execution and despite stemming from such diverse contexts, histories and cultural backgrounds, cleverly explored similar issues of identity, immigration, urban expansion, depletion of natural resources, fading of old values, cultural diversity and more.”

Lisa Reihana is the only finalist shortlisted from New Zealand for the prestigious title. Her video installation is a beautiful and spectacular piece titled In Pursuit of Venus which reflects the beauty of the Pacific Islands while offering a nuanced critique of its colonial legacies.

Other finalists works include Melati Suryodarmo’s I’m a Ghost in My Own House, an intense and powerful 12-hour long performance that sees the artist grind and crush hundreds of kilograms of charcoal, a symbol of life’s energy while Australian Owen Leong’s Infinite Love, a visceral and poetic performance, explores the body as a physical site for social, cultural and political forces in relation to his Asian-Australian identity.

Employing the use of meditative visuals, Go Watanabe’s One places / on “the room” presents a technically challenging and deeply absorbing piece that changes the way we look at time and space; Ranbir Kaleka’s House of Opaque Water uses a narrative structure to present the idea of displacement and society’s response to these situations.

Works shortlisted from Singapore include Ho Tzu Nyen’s PYTHAGORAS, a creation that serves as an immersive experience for audiences to explore the concept of the unseen and the concealment of power, sound or the voice; while Zhao Renhui’s seemingly minimalist installation titled Eskimo wolf trap often quoted in sermons, draws on his experience of traveling through the Arctic and being overwhelmed by its starkness.

From mainland China the works shortlisted include Liu Jianhua’s Trace, a striking piece inspired by the traditional art forms of calligraphy and porcelain to comment on societal ills and Peng Wei’s Letters from a Distance, which is steeped in traditional practices and utilizes Chinese aesthetic objects like scrolls and leaves melded together with texts from Western philosophers.

Choe U-Ram’s Custos Cavum (Guardian of the hole) takes the form of a mesmerizing and highly imaginative sculpture that depicts a mythical creature that is at once from the past yet also from an apocalyptic future and Arin Rungjang’s Golden Teardrop, revisits pivotal moments in Thai history and looks at the human movement and the exchange of cultures.

Exemplifying how art has the power to highlight a social issue for scrutiny and exact real change, Yao Jui-Chung & Lost Society Document (LSD)’s Mirage — Disused Public Property in Taiwan is an investigative political work on Taiwan’s ‘mosquito halls’ while Nguyen Trinh Thi‘s Unsubtitled looks at freedom of expression through an installation about Nhan Van-Giai Pham — a suppressed literary movement of the 1950s.

Finally, exploring spaces and places, Pakistan’s Farida Batool’s Kahani Eik Shehr Ki (story of a city) brings viewers on a walk down a busy city street in Lahore, capturing the side of a city that people may not know of via 21 long lenticular prints while Naeem Mohaiemen of Bangladesh presents Rankin Street, 1953, an intimate work that reveals the artist’s memories of his family using his family home as the subject and uncovering the past through vintage photograph negatives.

The APB Foundation Signature Art Prize is worth $100,000 with $60,000 awarded to the Grand Prize winner and $15,000 each for two Jurors’ Choice Award winners. A People’s Choice Award of $10,000 will also be offered to the artwork that receives the highest number of public votes via on-site and online submissions (voting opens from 14 November 2014).

The APB Foundation Signature Art Prize Exhibition will take place at SAM from 14 November 2014 to 15 March 2015 with the winners announced at an awards ceremony on 22 January 2015. For more information, please visit the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize webpage at http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/apbfSAP2014.html.

About the Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation

Instituted in June 1994, the APB Foundation seeks to ignite compassion and inspire through our philanthropic efforts. We set resources in motion to help people and organisations improve talents, enhanced educational and research endeavours as well as better living conditions. In turn, we fuel society and enable the communities, where we live and work, to flourish.

Committed to supporting Human Excellence, Creativity Development and Humanitarian Causes, the APB Foundation is involved in a variety of initiatives that range from arts funding and backing talent-building projects for human capital development, to engaging in meaningful partnerships with organisations or individuals who share our common goal to serve the society.

The APB Foundation is a registered charity managed and funded by Heineken Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (HEINEKEN Asia Pacific).

About the Singapore Art Museum

The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) focuses on contemporary art practice in Singapore, Southeast Asia and Asia within the global context. It advocates and makes accessible interdisciplinary contemporary art through research-led and evolving curatorial practice. Opened in January 1996, SAM has built up one of the most important collections of contemporary art from the region. It seeks to seed and nourish a stimulating and creative space in Singapore through exhibitions and public programmes. These encompass cross-disciplinary residencies and exchanges, research and publications, as well as outreach and education. SAM was the organiser of the Singapore Biennale in 2011 and 2013.

SAM was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 13 November 2013 and has moved from the National Heritage Board to the Visual Arts Cluster (VAC) under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY). The other institutions under the VAC are the National Art Gallery, Singapore (NAGS), and the Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI).

For more information and images of the artists and judges, please contact:

Kimberly Mah

Lynn Sim

Ogilvy Public Relations

Singapore Art Museum

DID: +65-62139940

DID: +65-66979762

Email: kimberly.mah@ogilvy.com

Email: lynn.sim@singaporeartmuseum.sg

Janet Neo

Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation

DID: +65-62763488

Email: janet.neo@heineken.com

Logo – http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20140826/8521404797LOGO-a
Logo – http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20140826/8521404797LOGO-b

 

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Infinite Love by Owen Leong from Australia Shortlisted as Finalist in Third Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize

15 finalists vying for SGD 60,000 Grand Prize revealed today

SYDNEY, Aug. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation today announced the 15 finalists of the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize 2014. Now in its third installment, the prize spotlights the most compelling contemporary artworks created by artists in the Asia Pacific region over the last three years.

The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) Logo

Selected by a panel of five eminent judges from around the region, the finalists’ works were chosen from 105 nominated artworks from 24 countries and territories. Innovative and exciting creations from recent years, the contemporary artworks represent the very best of the region and are intentionally not limited by genre. Spanning various mediums from painting to sculpture, photography, video works and performance art, they each address topical issues and collectively shed light not just on our region’s contemporary art landscape but also on the topics and conversations relevant in our society today.

The 15 finalists represent 13 countries and territories including Thailand, South Korea, Pakistan, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, mainland China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia, India, Bangladesh and Taiwan. They include:

  • Golden Teardrop (2013) by Arin Rungjang from Thailand
  • Custos Cavum (Guardian of the hole) (2011) by Choe U-Ram from South Korea
  • Kahani Eik Shehr Ki (story of a city) (2012) by Farida Batool from Pakistan
  • One places / on “the room” (2013) by Go Watanabe from Japan
  • PYTHAGORAS (2013) by Ho Tzu Nyen from Singapore
  • In Pursuit of Venus (2012) by Lisa Reihana from New Zealand
  • Trace (2011) by Liu Jianhua from mainland China
  • I’m a Ghost in My Own House (2012) by Melati Suryodarmo from Indonesia
  • Rankin Street, 1953 (2013) by Naeem Mohaiemen from Bangladesh
  • Unsubtitled (2013) by Nguyen Trinh Thi from Vietnam
  • Infinite Love (2011) by Owen Leong from Australia
  • Letters From A Distance (20122014) by Peng Wei from mainland China
  • House of Opaque Water (2013) by Ranbir Kaleka from India
  • Mirage — Disused Public Property in Taiwan (20102013) by Yao Jui-Chung + Lost Society Document (LSD) from Taiwan
  • Eskimo wolf trap often quoted in sermons (2013) by Zhao Renhui from Singapore

(For detailed artist’ statements and biographies, please visit http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/apbfSAP2014.html)

Selecting this year’s Finalists is a judging panel comprising Mr. Chris Saines, Director of Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art; Mr. Feng Boyi, eminent independent art curator and critic of Chinese contemporary art; Ms. Luckana Kunavichayanont, Director of Bangkok Art and Culture Center; Ms. Pooja Sood, Director of KHOJ International Artists’ Association; and Dr. Susie Lingham, Director of Singapore Art Museum.

A statement from the jury panel stated, “We’re excited to be presenting the finalists of the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize 2014. Narrowing the choice from over 100 works to the final 15 involved a rigorous selection process and intensive discussions — testament to the high caliber of entries that were refined, rich and diverse. Overall, the 15 works selected offer a glimpse of the future of our region’s rich and constantly evolving contemporary art scene. The finalist works stood out for their strength of concept and execution and despite stemming from such diverse contexts, histories and cultural backgrounds, cleverly explored similar issues of identity, immigration, urban expansion, depletion of natural resources, fading of old values, cultural diversity and more.”

Owen Leong’s Infinite Love, a subtle video that is cleanly positioned yet extremely violent, is the only Australian artist shortlisted for the prestigious title. Infinite Love is a visceral and poetic performance that explores the body as a physical site for social, cultural and political forces in relation to his Asian-Australian identity.

Other finalists works include Melati Suryodarmo’s I’m a Ghost in My Own House, an intense and powerful 12-hour long performance that sees the artist grind and crush hundreds of kilograms of charcoal, a symbol of life’s energy. Choe U-Ram’s Custos Cavum (Guardian of the hole) takes the form of a mesmerizing and highly imaginative sculpture that depicts a mythical creature that is at once from the past yet also from an apocalyptic future and Arin Rungjang’s Golden Teardrop, revisits pivotal moments in Thai history and looks at the human movement and the exchange of cultures.

Employing the use of meditative visuals, Go Watanabe’s One places / on “the room” presents a technically challenging and deeply absorbing piece that changes the way we look at time and space; Ranbir Kaleka’s House of Opaque Water uses a narrative structure to present the idea of displacement and society’s response to these situations; and New Zealander Lisa Reihana’s work In Pursuit of Venus reflects the beauty of the Pacific Islands while offering a nuanced critique of its colonial legacies.

Works shortlisted from Singapore include Ho Tzu Nyen’s PYTHAGORAS, a creation that serves as an immersive experience for audiences to explore the concept of the unseen and the concealment of power, sound or the voice; while Zhao Renhui’s seemingly minimalist installation titled Eskimo wolf trap often quoted in sermons, draws on his experience of traveling through the Arctic and being overwhelmed by its starkness.

From mainland China the works shortlisted include Liu Jianhua’s Trace, a striking piece inspired by the traditional art forms of calligraphy and porcelain to comment on societal ills and Peng Wei’s Letters from a Distance, which is steeped in traditional practices and utilizes Chinese aesthetic objects like scrolls and leaves melded together with texts from Western philosophers.

Exemplifying how art has the power to highlight a social issue for scrutiny and exact real change, Yao Jui-Chung & Lost Society Document (LSD)’s Mirage — Disused Public Property in Taiwan is an investigative political work on Taiwan’s mosquito halls while Nguyen Trinh Thi‘s Unsubtitled looks at freedom of expression through an installation about Nhan Van-Giai Pham — a suppressed literary movement of the 1950s.

Finally, exploring spaces and places, Pakistan’s Farida Batool’s Kahani Eik Shehr Ki (story of a city) brings viewers on a walk down a busy city street in Lahore, capturing the side of a city that people may not know of via 21 long lenticular prints while Naeem Mohaiemen of Bangladesh presents Rankin Street, 1953, an intimate work that reveals the artist’s memories of his family using his family home as the subject and uncovering the past through vintage photograph negatives.

The APB Foundation Signature Art Prize is worth $100,000 with $60,000 awarded to the Grand Prize winner and $15,000 each for two Jurors’ Choice Award winners. A People’s Choice Award of $10,000 will also be offered to the artwork that receives the highest number of public votes via on-site and online submissions (voting opens from 14 November 2014).

The APB Foundation Signature Art Prize Exhibition will take place at SAM from 14 November 2014 to 15 March 2015 with the winners announced at an awards ceremony on 22 January 2015. For more information, please visit the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize webpage at http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/apbfSAP2014.html.

About the Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation

Instituted in June 1994, the APB Foundation seeks to ignite compassion and inspire through our philanthropic efforts. We set resources in motion to help people and organisations improve talents, enhanced educational and research endeavours as well as better living conditions. In turn, we fuel society and enable the communities, where we live and work, to flourish.

Committed to supporting Human Excellence, Creativity Development and Humanitarian Causes, the APB Foundation is involved in a variety of initiatives that range from arts funding and backing talent-building projects for human capital development, to engaging in meaningful partnerships with organisations or individuals who share our common goal to serve the society.

The APB Foundation is a registered charity managed and funded by Heineken Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (HEINEKEN Asia Pacific).

About the Singapore Art Museum

The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) focuses on contemporary art practice in Singapore, Southeast Asia and Asia within the global context. It advocates and makes accessible interdisciplinary contemporary art through research-led and evolving curatorial practice. Opened in January 1996, SAM has built up one of the most important collections of contemporary art from the region. It seeks to seed and nourish a stimulating and creative space in Singapore through exhibitions and public programmes. These encompass cross-disciplinary residencies and exchanges, research and publications, as well as outreach and education. SAM was the organiser of the Singapore Biennale in 2011 and 2013.

SAM was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 13 November 2013 and has moved from the National Heritage Board to the Visual Arts Cluster (VAC) under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY). The other institutions under the VAC are the National Art Gallery, Singapore (NAGS), and the Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI).

For more information and images of the artists and judges, please contact:

Kimberly Mah

Lynn Sim

Ogilvy Public Relations

Singapore Art Museum

DID: +65-62139940

DID: +65-66979762

Email: kimberly.mah@ogilvy.com

Email: lynn.sim@singaporeartmuseum.sg

Janet Neo

Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation

DID: +65-62763488

Email: janet.neo@heineken.com

Logo – http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20140826/8521404797LOGO-a
Logo – http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20140826/8521404797LOGO-b

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Arts

I’m a Ghost in My Own House by Melati Suryodarmo from Indonesia Shortlisted as Finalist in Third Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize

15 finalists vying for SGD 60,000 Grand Prize revealed today

SURAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation today announced the 15 finalists of the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize 2014. Now in its third installment, the prize spotlights the most compelling contemporary artworks created by artists in the Asia Pacific region over the last three years.

 

The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) Logo

Selected by a panel of five eminent judges from around the region, the finalists’ works were chosen from 105 nominated artworks from 24 countries and territories. Innovative and exciting creations from recent years, the contemporary artworks represent the very best of the region and are intentionally not limited by genre. Spanning various mediums from painting to sculpture, photography, video works and performance art, they each address topical issues and collectively shed light not just on our region’s contemporary art landscape but also on the topics and conversations relevant in our society today.

The 15 finalists represent 13 countries and territories including Thailand, South Korea, Pakistan, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, mainland China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia, India, Bangladesh and Taiwan. They include:

  • Golden Teardrop (2013) by Arin Rungjang from Thailand
  • Custos Cavum (Guardian of the hole) (2011) by Choe U-Ram from South Korea
  • Kahani Eik Shehr Ki (story of a city) (2012) by Farida Batool from Pakistan
  • One places / on “the room” (2013) by Go Watanabe from Japan
  • PYTHAGORAS (2013) by Ho Tzu Nyen from Singapore
  • In Pursuit of Venus (2012) by Lisa Reihana from New Zealand
  • Trace (2011) by Liu Jianhua from mainland China
  • I’m a Ghost in My Own House (2012) by Melati Suryodarmo from Indonesia
  • Rankin Street, 1953 (2013) by Naeem Mohaiemen from Bangladesh
  • Unsubtitled (2013) by Nguyen Trinh Thi from Vietnam
  • Infinite Love (2011) by Owen Leong from Australia
  • Letters From A Distance (2012-2014) by Peng Wei from mainland China
  • House of Opaque Water (2013) by Ranbir Kaleka from India
  • Mirage — Disused Public Property in Taiwan (2010-2013) by Yao Jui-Chung + Lost Society Document (LSD) from Taiwan
  • Eskimo wolf trap often quoted in sermons (2013) by Zhao Renhui from Singapore

(For detailed artist’ statements and biographies, please visit http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/apbfSAP2014.html)

Selecting this year’s Finalists is a judging panel comprising Mr. Chris Saines, Director of Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art; Mr. Feng Boyi, eminent independent art curator and critic of Chinese contemporary art; Ms. Luckana Kunavichayanont, Director of Bangkok Art and Culture Center; Ms. Pooja Sood, Director of KHOJ International Artists’ Association; and Dr. Susie Lingham, Director of Singapore Art Museum.

A statement from the jury panel stated, “We’re excited to be presenting the finalists of the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize 2014. Narrowing the choice from over 100 works to the final 15 involved a rigorous selection process and intensive discussions — testament to the high caliber of entries that were refined, rich and diverse. Overall, the 15 works selected offer a glimpse of the future of our region’s rich and constantly evolving contemporary art scene. The finalist works stood out for their strength of concept and execution and despite stemming from such diverse contexts, histories and cultural backgrounds, cleverly explored similar issues of identity, immigration, urban expansion, depletion of natural resources, fading of old values, cultural diversity and more.”

I’m a Ghost in My Own House by Melati Suryodarmo, the only Indonesian finalist shortlisted for the prestigious title, is an intense and powerful 12-hour long performance that sees the artist grind and crush hundreds of kilograms of charcoal, a symbol of life’s energy.

Other finalists works include Australian Owen Leong’s Infinite Love, a visceral and poetic performance, explores the body as a physical site for social, cultural and political forces in relation to his Asian-Australian identity.

Employing the use of meditative visuals, Go Watanabe’s One places / on “the room” presents a technically challenging and deeply absorbing piece that changes the way we look at time and space; Ranbir Kaleka’s House of Opaque Water uses a narrative structure to present the idea of displacement and society’s response to these situations; and New Zealander Lisa Reihana’s work In Pursuit of Venus reflects the beauty of the Pacific Islands while offering a nuanced critique of its colonial legacies.

From mainland China the works shortlisted include Liu Jianhua’s Trace, a striking piece inspired by the traditional art forms of calligraphy and porcelain to comment on societal ills and Peng Wei’s Letters from a Distance, which is steeped in traditional practices and utilizes Chinese aesthetic objects like scrolls and leaves melded together with texts from Western philosophers.

Choe U-Ram’s Custos Cavum (Guardian of the hole) takes the form of a mesmerizing and highly imaginative sculpture that depicts a mythical creature that is at once from the past yet also from an apocalyptic future and Arin Rungjang’s Golden Teardrop, revisits pivotal moments in Thai history and looks at the human movement and the exchange of cultures.

Works shortlisted from Singapore include Ho Tzu Nyen’s PYTHAGORAS, a creation that serves as an immersive experience for audiences to explore the concept of the unseen and the concealment of power, sound or the voice; while Zhao Renhui’s seemingly minimalist installation titled Eskimo wolf trap often quoted in sermons, draws on his experience of traveling through the Arctic and being overwhelmed by its starkness.

Exemplifying how art has the power to highlight a social issue for scrutiny and exact real change, Yao Jui-Chung & Lost Society Document (LSD)’s Mirage — Disused Public Property in Taiwan is an investigative political work on Taiwan’s ‘mosquito halls’ while Nguyen Trinh Thi Unsubtitled looks at freedom of expression through an installation about Nhan Van-Giai Pham — a suppressed literary movement of the 1950s.

Finally, exploring spaces and places, Pakistan’s Farida Batool’s Kahani Eik Shehr Ki (story of a city) brings viewers on a walk down a busy city street in Lahore, capturing the side of a city that people may not know of via 21 long lenticular prints while Naeem Mohaiemen of Bangladesh presents Rankin Street, 1953, an intimate work that reveals the artist’s memories of his family using his family home as the subject and uncovering the past through vintage photograph negatives.

The APB Foundation Signature Art Prize is worth $100,000 with $60,000 awarded to the Grand Prize winner and $15,000 each for two Jurors’ Choice Award winners. A People’s Choice Award of $10,000 will also be offered to the artwork that receives the highest number of public votes via on-site and online submissions (voting opens from 14 November 2014).

The APB Foundation Signature Art Prize Exhibition will take place at SAM from 14 November 2014 to 15 March 2015 with the winners announced at an awards ceremony on 22 January 2015. For more information, please visit the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize webpage at http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/apbfSAP2014.html.

About the Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation

Instituted in June 1994, the APB Foundation seeks to ignite compassion and inspire through our philanthropic efforts. We set resources in motion to help people and organisations improve talents, enhanced educational and research endeavours as well as better living conditions. In turn, we fuel society and enable the communities, where we live and work, to flourish.

Committed to supporting Human Excellence, Creativity Development and Humanitarian Causes, the APB Foundation is involved in a variety of initiatives that range from arts funding and backing talent-building projects for human capital development, to engaging in meaningful partnerships with organisations or individuals who share our common goal to serve the society.

The APB Foundation is a registered charity managed and funded by Heineken Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (HEINEKEN Asia Pacific).

About the Singapore Art Museum

The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) focuses on contemporary art practice in Singapore, Southeast Asia and Asia within the global context. It advocates and makes accessible interdisciplinary contemporary art through research-led and evolving curatorial practice. Opened in January 1996, SAM has built up one of the most important collections of contemporary art from the region. It seeks to seed and nourish a stimulating and creative space in Singapore through exhibitions and public programmes. These encompass cross-disciplinary residencies and exchanges, research and publications, as well as outreach and education. SAM was the organiser of the Singapore Biennale in 2011 and 2013.

SAM was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 13 November 2013 and has moved from the National Heritage Board to the Visual Arts Cluster (VAC) under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY). The other institutions under the VAC are the National Art Gallery, Singapore (NAGS), and the Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI).

For more information and images of the artists and judges, please contact:

Kimberly Mah

Lynn Sim

Ogilvy Public Relations

Singapore Art Museum

DID: +65-6213-9940

DID: +65-6697-9762

Email: kimberly.mah@ogilvy.com

Email: lynn.sim@singaporeartmuseum.sg

Janet Neo

Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation

DID: +65-6276-3488

Email: janet.neo@heineken.com

Logo – http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20140826/8521404797LOGO-a
Logo – http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20140826/8521404797LOGO-b

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Arts

Unsubtitled by Nguyen Trinh Thi from Vietnam Shortlisted as Finalist in Third Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize

15 finalists vying for SGD 60,000 Grand Prize revealed today

HANOI, Vietnam, Aug. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation today announced the 15 finalists of the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize 2014. Now in its third installment, the prize spotlights the most compelling contemporary artworks created by artists in the Asia Pacific region over the last three years.

Selected by a panel of five eminent judges from around the region, the finalists’ works were chosen from 105 nominated artworks from 24 countries and territories. Innovative and exciting creations from recent years, the contemporary artworks represent the very best of the region and are intentionally not limited by genre. Spanning various mediums from painting to sculpture, photography, video works and performance art, they each address topical issues and collectively shed light not just on our region’s contemporary art landscape but also on the topics and conversations relevant in our society today.

The 15 finalists represent 13 countries and territories including Thailand, South Korea, Pakistan, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, mainland China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia, India, Bangladesh and Taiwan. They include:

  • Golden Teardrop (2013) by Arin Rungjang from Thailand
  • Custos Cavum (Guardian of the hole) (2011) by Choe U-Ram from South Korea
  • Kahani Eik Shehr Ki (story of a city) (2012) by Farida Batool from Pakistan
  • One places / on “the room” (2013) by Go Watanabe from Japan
  • PYTHAGORAS (2013) by Ho Tzu Nyen from Singapore
  • In Pursuit of Venus (2012) by Lisa Reihana from New Zealand
  • Trace (2011) by Liu Jianhua from China
  • I’m a Ghost in My Own House (2012) by Melati Suryodarmo from Indonesia
  • Rankin Street, 1953 (2013) by Naeem Mohaiemen from Bangladesh
  • Unsubtitled (2013) by Nguyen Trinh Thi from Vietnam
  • Infinite Love (2011) by Owen Leong from Australia
  • Letters From A Distance (20122014) by Peng Wei from mainland China
  • House of Opaque Water (2013) by Ranbir Kaleka from India
  • Mirage — Disused Public Property in Taiwan (20102013) by Yao Jui-Chung + Lost Society Document (LSD) from Taiwan
  • Eskimo wolf trap often quoted in sermons (2013) by Zhao Renhui from Singapore

(For detailed artist’ statements and biographies, please visit http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/apbfSAP2014.html)

Selecting this year’s Finalists is a judging panel comprising Mr. Chris Saines, Director of Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art; Mr. Feng Boyi, eminent independent art curator and critic of Chinese contemporary art; Ms. Luckana Kunavichayanont, Director of Bangkok Art and Culture Center; Ms. Pooja Sood, Director of KHOJ International Artists’ Association; and Dr. Susie Lingham, Director of Singapore Art Museum.

A statement from the jury panel stated, “We’re excited to be presenting the finalists of the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize 2014. Narrowing the choice from over 100 works to the final 15 involved a rigorous selection process and intensive discussions — testament to the high caliber of entries that were refined, rich and diverse. Overall, the 15 works selected offer a glimpse of the future of our region’s rich and constantly evolving contemporary art scene. The finalist works stood out for their strength of concept and execution and despite stemming from such diverse contexts, histories and cultural backgrounds, cleverly explored similar issues of identity, immigration, urban expansion, depletion of natural resources, fading of old values, cultural diversity and more.”

Unsubtitled by Nguyen Trihn Thi is the only Vietnamese work shortlisted for the prestigious title. Her work is a hauntingly thought-provoking video installation that looks at freedom of expression through an installation about Nhan Van-Giai Pham — a suppressed literary movement of the 1950s.

Other finalists works include Melati Suryodarmo’s I’m a Ghost in My Own House, an intense and powerful 12-hour long performance that sees the artist grind and crush hundreds of kilograms of charcoal, a symbol of life’s energy while Australian Owen Leong’s Infinite Love, a visceral and poetic performance, explores the body as a physical site for social, cultural and political forces in relation to his Asian-Australian identity.

Employing the use of meditative visuals, Go Watanabe’s One places / on “the room” presents a technically challenging and deeply absorbing piece that changes the way we look at time and space; Ranbir Kaleka’s House of Opaque Water uses a narrative structure to present the idea of displacement and society’s response to these situations; and New Zealander Lisa Reihana’s work In Pursuit of Venus reflects the beauty of the Pacific Islands while offering a nuanced critique of its colonial legacies.

From mainland China the works shortlisted include Liu Jianhua’s Trace, a striking piece inspired by the traditional art forms of calligraphy and porcelain to comment on societal ills and Peng Wei’s Letters from a Distance, which is steeped in traditional practices and utilizes Chinese aesthetic objects like scrolls and leaves melded together with texts from Western philosophers.

Works shortlisted from Singapore include Ho Tzu Nyen’s PYTHAGORAS, a creation that serves as an immersive experience for audiences to explore the concept of the unseen and the concealment of power, sound or the voice; while Zhao Renhui’s seemingly minimalist installation titled Eskimo wolf trap often quoted in sermons, draws on his experience of traveling through the Arctic and being overwhelmed by its starkness. Choe U-Ram’s Custos Cavum (Guardian of the hole) takes the form of a mesmerizing and highly imaginative sculpture that depicts a mythical creature that is at once from the past yet also from an apocalyptic future and Arin Rungjang’s Golden Teardrop, revisits pivotal moments in Thai history and looks at the human movement and the exchange of cultures.

Exemplifying how art has the power to highlight a social issue for scrutiny and exact real change, Yao Jui-Chung & Lost Society Document (LSD)’s Mirage — Disused Public Property in Taiwan is an investigative political work on Taiwan’s mosquito halls.

Finally, exploring spaces and places, Pakistan’s Farida Batool’s Kahani Eik Shehr Ki (story of a city) brings viewers on a walk down a busy city street in Lahore, capturing the side of a city that people may not know of via 21 long lenticular prints while Naeem Mohaiemen of Bangladesh presents Rankin Street, 1953, an intimate work that reveals the artist’s memories of his family using his family home as the subject and uncovering the past through vintage photograph negatives.

The APB Foundation Signature Art Prize is worth $100,000 with $60,000 awarded to the Grand Prize winner and $15,000 each for two Jurors’ Choice Award winners. A People’s Choice Award of $10,000 will also be offered to the artwork that receives the highest number of public votes via on-site and online submissions (voting opens from 14 November 2014).

The APB Foundation Signature Art Prize Exhibition will take place at SAM from 14 November 2014 to 15 March 2015 with the winners announced at an awards ceremony on 22 January 2015. For more information, please visit the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize webpage at http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/apbfSAP2014.html.

About the Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation

Instituted in June 1994, the APB Foundation seeks to ignite compassion and inspire through our philanthropic efforts. We set resources in motion to help people and organisations improve talents, enhanced educational and research endeavours as well as better living conditions. In turn, we fuel society and enable the communities, where we live and work, to flourish.

Committed to supporting Human Excellence, Creativity Development and Humanitarian Causes, the APB Foundation is involved in a variety of initiatives that range from arts funding and backing talent-building projects for human capital development, to engaging in meaningful partnerships with organisations or individuals who share our common goal to serve the society.

The APB Foundation is a registered charity managed and funded by Heineken Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (HEINEKEN Asia Pacific).

About the Singapore Art Museum

The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) focuses on contemporary art practice in Singapore, Southeast Asia and Asia within the global context. It advocates and makes accessible interdisciplinary contemporary art through research-led and evolving curatorial practice. Opened in January 1996, SAM has built up one of the most important collections of contemporary art from the region. It seeks to seed and nourish a stimulating and creative space in Singapore through exhibitions and public programmes. These encompass cross-disciplinary residencies and exchanges, research and publications, as well as outreach and education. SAM was the organiser of the Singapore Biennale in 2011 and 2013.

SAM was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 13 November 2013 and has moved from the National Heritage Board to the Visual Arts Cluster (VAC) under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY). The other institutions under the VAC are the National Art Gallery, Singapore (NAGS), and the Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI).

For more information and images of artists and judges, please contact:

Kimberly Mah

Lynn Sim

Ogilvy Public Relations

Singapore Art Museum

DID: +65-62139940

DID: +65-66979762

Email: kimberly.mah@ogilvy.com

Email: lynn.sim@singaporeartmuseum.sg

Janet Neo

Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation

DID: +65-62763488

Email: janet.neo@heineken.com

Logo – http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20140826/8521404797LOGO-a
Logo – http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20140826/8521404797LOGO-b

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Aviation

Toyota Holds Eighth Dream Car Art Contest Awards Ceremony

TOKYO, Aug. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Toyota Motor Corporation held an awards ceremony for the eighth Toyota Dream Car Art Contest at Mega Web, Toyota’s vehicle experience facility in Tokyo’s Koto Ward on August 27.

A total of 662,898 art works from 75 countries and regions were submitted to the contest. In each of three age categories (seven and under, eight to 11, and 12 to 15), one Gold, two Silver, three Bronze, and four Best Finalist awards were presented. In addition, one entry was selected for the special President Toyoda Award. The award ceremony was attended by the 31 award winners and their parents and guardians, representing 22 countries and regions.

The Gold award winners were Thanh Mai Bui (age 6) of Vietnam for “Super Crab Car”, Jirawat Yodsing (age 10) of Thailand for “Wat Pho Massage Car”, and Iasmina-Maria Raceanu (age 16; 15 at the time of submission) of Romania for “STORYOTA”. Mealaksey Pha (age 5) of Cambodia won the President Toyoda award for “Smart Fish Car”.

The award-winning entries and photo of ceremony of August 27 can be viewed and downloaded from the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest press site at http://www.image.net/dream_car_art_contest_2014.

Please note that images from the event will be posted at around 2:00 p.m. on August 27 (Tokyo time).

About the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest

Conducted as part of Toyota’s social contribution activities, the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest is open to children 15 years of age and below worldwide. The contest, first conducted in 2004, gives children throughout the world the opportunity to develop an interest in cars and helps them feel the joy and importance of having a dream.

Local contests were held from October 2013 through March 2014, with 670 outstanding entries selected to progress to the world contest held in Japan. TMC President Akio Toyoda led a jury consisting of outside experts in art and automotive science in selecting the winners.

Contact:

Midori Kobayashi, Masako Kitamura
Toyota Motor Sales & Marketing Corporation
Tel: +81-3-3817-9460
e-mail: toyotadreamcar@tmsm.co.jp

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Market

Highest Honour in Corporate Governance for Shiv Nadar

KOLKATA and NOIDA, India, Aug. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ —

– Felicitated with the ICSI Lifetime Achievement Award

The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), the apex body with a vision of being a global leader in promoting good corporate governance, has bestowed the ICSI Life Time Achievement Award 2013 for Excellence in Corporate Governance on Shiv Nadar, Founder & Chairman, HCL and Shiv Nadar Foundation. The award was presented by Shri Arun Jaitley, Hon’ble Union Minister for Finance, Defence and Corporate Affairs.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140825/703012 )

The award comes hot on the heels of several recent accolades in corporate governance conferred on HCL Technologies, which include the Best Governed Company Award 2014 from The Asian Centre; the Outstanding Company of the Year 2014 Award from CNBC and the Corporate Citizen awards by both the PHD Chamber of Commerce and All India Management Association.

CS R Sridharan, President, ICSI, said, “HCL represents a culture of evolving globally acceptable standards of corporate governance. Last year, ICSI recognised HCL Technologies as the best governed company. This year, we are pleased to felicitate Shiv Nadar for his exemplary work in institution-building and good governance that has helped create sustained and path-breaking growth for HCL in a highly dynamic business environment.”

Accepting the award, Shiv Nadar said, “This is a great honour and I thank ICSI and the eminent jury for this recognition.I share this award with our board, management leadership and employees who have set high standards of governance. I believe good corporate governance is critical in enhancing competitiveness, and creating industry-leading profitable growth and superior returns for every stakeholder of the institution.”

The ICSI National Awards for Excellence in Corporate Governance, instituted in 2001, are the highest honour in corporate governance in India. The independent jury comprised of:

  • Justice M. N. Venkatachaliah, Chairman of Jury & Former Chief Justice of India
  • Dr. Anil K. Khandelwal, Former CMD, Bank of Baroda
  • Arun Balakrishnan, Former CMD, HPCL
  • Justice B. N. Srikrishna, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India
  • Ravi Narain, Vice Chairman, NSEIL
  • R. S. Butola, Chairman, Indian Oil Corporation
  • Y. C. Deveshwar, Chairman, ITC Ltd
  • Y. M. Deosthalee, CMD, L&T Finance Holdings Ltd
  • CS S. N. Ananthasubramanian, Immediate Past President, ICSI
  • Sunil Kant Munjal, Joint Managing Director, Hero MotoCorp Ltd

Contact: Kunal Takalkar, +91-9810773217

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Medical

GETINGE Receives Red Dot Design Award for its Innovative User-interface CENTRIC

GETINGE, Sweden, Aug. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ —

Getinge Infection Control has been awarded the prestigious and coveted Red Dot design Award for its innovative user-interface called Getinge CENTRIC. The design of the newly launched user-interface for sterilizers and washer-disinfectors received the jury´s attention, thanks to its user-centric approach and focus on process assurance and safety. 

The Red Dot Design Award is one of the world’s largest design competitions. The international jury judges each of the 7096 entries live and in-situ in sessions running over several days.  

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140825/703005)

Getinge Infection Control has in the past years developed CENTRIC a new patent pending user interface for washer- disinfectors and sterilizers, used in the Healthcare and Life Science segments. Creating a user interface for equipment in the infection control settings that enables an efficient, safe and intuitive handling required extensive user involvement and research engagement.

Getinge CENTRIC offers a unique guiding interface, showing only the information the operator needs in each situation. The interface is coordinated throughout all Getinge products for recognition and safe use. The aim of the intuitive and guiding interface is to minimize the risk of human error and allow the users to operate the machines with higher confidence and in less time. Another important aim is to support staff in solving errors themselves without lengthy stop in the flow of goods, and to substantially reduce costly training time.

“Winning the Red Dot award for Getinge CENTRIC is recognition that the intuitive user-interface is truly a game changer for our industry. The development of CENTRIC is designed with the user in mind. From this perspective, CENTRIC offers our customers more efficient processing and safer handling of their equipment in an appealing format,” says Anders Grahn, President & CEO for Getinge Infection Control.

In this process Getinge has worked in close cooperation with the Swedish design and innovation agency Lots. This is the second time Getinge Infection Control and Lots wins the Red Dot seal together. Lots has extensive experience and knowledge of developing creative and brand new design solutions that meet people´s needs.

“Getinge CENTRIC is a good example of user centric innovation, where deep user involvement during the development process resulted in a completely unique user interface that supports the staff,” explains Hanna Ljungstrom, Design Manager at Lots.

Media contact:

Anders Grahn
President & CEO
Getinge Infection Control
+46-10-335-56-96

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Aviation

Frost & Sullivan Recognizes Award Recipients at 2014 Excellence in Best Practices Award Gala

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Frost & Sullivan honored the recipients of its 2014 Excellence in Best Practices Awards at a black tie gala held on Tuesday, July 15 in Boston, Mass., at the Fairmont Copley Plaza.

The Excellence in Best Practices Awards are presented each year to companies that are predicted to encourage significant growth in their industries, have identified emerging trends before they became the standard in the marketplace, and have created advanced technologies that will catalyze and transform industries in the near future.

Awarded companies included:

Monitronics Security – 2013 North American Residential Security Services Customer Value Leadership Award

SafeNet, Inc. – 2013 Global Software Monetization Market Share Leadership Award

Telogis, Inc. – 2013 North American Light Commercial Vehicle Telematics Company of the Year Award

Verizon – 2013 North American Hosted IVR Market Share Leadership Award

Agilent Technologies – 2014 Global PXI Instrumentation Growth Excellence Leadership Award

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise – 2014 Global Unified Communications Deployment Strategies Product Differentiation Excellence Award

AT&T – 2014 North American Personal Emergency Response Systems Enabling Technology Leadership Award

Bendix – 2014 United States Overall Best Supplier of Advanced Safety Systems for Heavy-Duty Trucks Product Leadership Award

CafeX Communications – 2014 North American Mobile and Web Customer Engagement Solutions New Product Innovation Award

Codonics – 2014 North American Medication Management Solutions Customer Value Leadership Award

Corindus Vascular Robotics – 2014 North American Interventional Cardiology New Product Innovation Leadership Award

Dassault Systemes – 2014 Global Mobility Applications in Discrete Industries New Product Innovation Leadership Award

Dräger – 2014 Global Mechanical Ventilation Equipment Growth Excellence Leadership Award

Expert Global Solutions – 2014 North American Healthcare BPO Customer Value Leadership Award

HARMAN International – 2014 Global High-End Car Audio Product Leadership Award

HP – 2014 North American IT Professional Services Customer Value Enhancement Award

INOLEX – 2014 Global Personal Care New Product Innovation Leadership Award

Interactive Intelligence – 2014 North American Contact Center Systems Company of the Year Award

Intergraph – 2014 Global First Responder C3i Software Solutions Market Penetration Leadership Award

Internap – 2014 North American Cloud Services Competitive Strategy Innovation & Leadership Award

Lynxspring, Inc. – 2014 North American Building Automation Systems Customer Value Leadership Award

MobileHelp – 2014 North American Personal Emergency Response Systems Price Performance Value Leadership Award

Mobius Imaging, LLC – 2014 North American Computed Tomography (CT) Imaging New Product Innovation Leadership Award

NEC – 2014 Global Unified Communications Infrastructure Technology Innovation Leadership Award

OSNovative Systems, Inc. – 2014 North American Wound Care Dressings New Product Innovation Leadership Award

PeopleNet – 2014 North American Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicle Telematics Company of the Year Award

ProfitBricks, Inc. – 2014 North American Cloud Computing New Product Innovation Leadership Award

Qlik – 2014 Global Big Data Analytics – Data Discovery and Visualization Market Leadership Award

RacoWireless – 2014 North American M2M Communications Product Leadership Award

Sensus Healthcare – 2014 North American Non-melanoma Skin Cancer Therapy New Product Innovation Leadership Award

TalkPoint – 2014 Global Webcasting Services Customer Value Enhancement Award

Teleperformance Colombia – 2014 Latin American Contact Center Outsourcing Green Excellence Award

Third Wave Power – 2014 North American Solar Portable Battery Charger New Product Innovation Leadership Award

USA Technologies – 2014 North American Financial Services and Retail M2M Communications Customer Value Leadership Award

Verisante Technology – 2014 North American In Vivo Cancer Detection Technology Innovation Leadership Award

Verizon Global Wholesale – 2014 United States Wholesale Metro Carrier Ethernet Services Market Leadership Award

Virtual Radiologic – 2014 North American Medical Imaging Analytics Visionary Innovation Award

WordLogic Corporation – 2014 North American Predictive Engine for Keyboard Intelligence Applications Enabling Technology Leadership Award

Xagenic Inc. – 2014 North American Point-of-Care Diagnostics New Product Innovation Leadership Award

Xora, A ClickSoftware Company – 2014 North American Mobile Workforce Management Customer Value Leadership Award

Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices.

For further information about the Awards gala, please contact a member of the Best Practices Team.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today’s market participants.

Our “Growth Partnership” supports clients by addressing these opportunities and incorporating two key elements driving visionary innovation: The Integrated Value Proposition and The Partnership Infrastructure.

  • The Integrated Value Proposition provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation.
  • The Partnership Infrastructure is entirely unique as it constructs the foundation upon which visionary innovation becomes possible. This includes our 360 degree research, comprehensive industry coverage, career best practices as well as our global footprint of more than 40 offices.

For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies?

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Contact:
Samantha Park
P: +1.210.247.2426
E: samantha.park@frost.com

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