Artwork drawing attention to resource depletion wins UOB prize

Artist Zelin Seah and wife Chen Lee Sun seen with his prize-winning 2022 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) artwork 'Skin Of Land' in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Handout

Contemporary artist Zelin Seah has won the 2022 UOB Painting of the Year (POY) (Malaysia) award for his environmentally-conscious artwork titled Skin Of Land.

As the winner of the Established Artist Category in Malaysia, Seah received a cash prize of RM100,000. His painting will next compete with other winning entries from Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand for the 2022 UOB South-East Asian Painting of the Year award, which will offer the winner a chance to win a one-month residency programme at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan. The award will be announced next month in Singapore.

"The winning artworks this year conveyed a wide range of messages through a variety of materials. It is encouraging to see our local artists challenging themselves in a creative way, to push the boundaries to create something new and refreshing. Through their art, they have made an important contribution to society and the art community, while making the local art scene much more vibrant," says Bibi Chew, chief judge of the 2022 UOB POY (Malaysia) competition.

In describing his winning artwork Skin Of Land, Seah, 42, wants to illustrate how the development of human society comes at the expense of the environment.

Seah's 'Skin Of Land' artwork, which won the 2022 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) award. Photo: Handout

The British-trained artist, who is also an art lecturer, crafted a map in the form of an animal with its skin laid bare on the frame with wool felt and synthetic fibres.

"There are no visible words on the map as it has been cut, washed and burned, to symbolically show that the lines between nature and human dwellings are blurred, signifying that humans and nature are intertwined. At the centre of the art piece lies an imagery of a primeval forest, one that is slowly engulfed due to human development," reads a description for the artwork.

“In Chinese, Skin Of Land means a commercially valuable site rich in natural resources. The artwork portrays an animal that has been hunted down, depicting how valuable land is often exploited for its natural resources.

"Within the map are contour lines, different symbols and colours to depict the complex framework of human society," says Seah, who has six solo exhibitions and numerous group show contributions since he started exhibiting actively in 2010.

Seah joins the ranks of past UOB POY (Malaysia) winners, including Saiful Razman, Sabri Idrus, Cheng Yen Pheng, Cheong Kiet Cheng, Chok Yue Zan, Yim Yen Sum, Minstrel Kuik and Gan Tee Sheng, who have gone on to receive national and international acclaim for their artworks.

Last year, Saiful was the regional winner of the UOB South-East Asian Painting of the Year prize, the first Malaysian artist to pick up the award.