SEA's best: Malaysian artist Saiful Razman bags UOB Painting of the Year award

'I wanted to express the absence of sound and the sense of serenity experienced during self-isolation through using mixed media and highly contrasting shades of grey,' says contemporary artist Saiful Razman about his prize-winning work. Photos: Saiful Razman

Contemporary artist Saiful Razman has won the UOB South-East Asian Painting of the Year award for a minimalistic, monochromatic artwork inspired by self-isolation during the pandemic.

Titled Walk In Silence, Don't Walk Away In Silence (inspired by a song lyric from British post-punk group Joy Division), it makes creative use of thin-rolled tissue paper and medical gauze, and features a "haven" in the shape of a house.