2022 UOB Art in Ink Awards

EVENT DESCRIPTION

UOB Hong Kong launches the 2022 UOB Art in Ink Awards to promote greater appreciation of ink art and to call for artists to push the boundaries of their imagination. Since its début in 2017, the UOB Art in Ink Awards has quickly become one of the leading visual art competitions in Hong Kong and a showcase for the versatility of Chinese ink.

The 2022 edition of the Awards is now open for submissions till 25 September 2022. Winners of the 2022 UOB Art in Ink Awards will receive attractive prizes worth more than HK$330,000 in total. Apart from the Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in the different age and genre categories, the top winners of the Established and Emerging Artist Category will be chosen to receive the UOB Ink Art of the Year Award and the Most Promising Artist of the Year Award respectively.

Mrs Christine Ip, CEO – Greater China, UOB, said, “As the leading patron of the arts in Asia, we are delighted to bring the competition back for its sixth year in Hong Kong. The UOB Art in Ink Awards has demonstrated a remarkable ability to identify talents among established and emerging artists in the city. It has proven to be an outstanding opportunity for artistic talents to share their works with the wider community to experience the power of art. Having witnessed the artistic mastery and inspiring stories from the competition winners over the past years, we are very much looking forward to the 2022 edition.”

All entries will be evaluated by an independent judging panel based on creativity, originality, technique, quality of work, the interpretation of Chinese ink art and the artist’s overall ability. This year, Dr Jiang Fangting, Associate Curator of Hong Kong Palace Museum, will join the judging panel of the UOB Art in Ink Awards. The returning jurors include Dr Chui Pui-chee, leading calligrapher and ink scholar; Mr He Baili, celebrated Hong Kong ink artist of the Lingnan School; Mr Calvin Hui, Co-founder and Chairman of 3812 Gallery and Founder of Ink Now; Ms Carman Shek, Senior Specialist Head of Sale, Chinese Paintings Department, Christie’s Hong Kong; Ms Olivia Wang, independent curator, art writer and representative of Ink Society Hong Kong and Mr Zheng Chongbin, internationally-renowned contemporary ink artist.

The 2022 UOB Art in Ink Awards is open to Hong Kong residents for the following categories: Open Category (aged 18 and above); Senior Student Category (aged 13 to 17) and Junior Student Category (aged 9 to 12). Participation is free of charge. To enter and for further details including full terms and conditions on entry requirements, please visit: www.UOBArtAcademy.com.hk.

UOB Art in Ink Awards Winners’ Showcase
The launch of the 2022 UOB Art in Ink Awards comes in conjunction with the launch of new exhibitions at the UOB Virtual Art Space. 18 winning artworks of the 2021 UOB Art in Ink Awards are now on display, exemplifying the creativity in the use of medium and the rich embodiment of Chinese culture, history and tradition.

Joining the 18 artworks are the eight Chinese ink artworks drawn by Ms Tang Shuk Man, winner of the 2020 UOB Ink Art of the Year Award. Themed as ‘Finding My Root’, the artworks feature flowers coupled with unidentified faces of infants, representing Ms Tang’s exploration of life and the plurality of understanding of root upon her experience. The flowers illustrate the cycle of mankind from birth to death while the unidentified faces of infants remind viewers the origin and growth of a life’s voyage. They also encourage viewers to take a moment to reflect on the uniqueness of one’s root and to appreciate the different stages of life.

Launched in 2020, the UOB Virtual Art Space is part of the Art Virtually pillar under the UOB Art Explorer aimed at enabling visitors to experience art anywhere and anytime. The virtual exhibitions are free and open to the public.

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

The UOB Art Academy was established by UOB in Hong Kong in 2015 to make art more accessible, nurture artistic talents and rejuvenating the cultural heritage. It embraces the three focus areas of UOB Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility: art, children and education.

As the Lead Partner of Art Central, UOB organises the annual UOB Art in Ink Awards and a series of art workshops to engage the general public, especially the children from less privileged backgrounds or with special needs in the local community.