New Zealander Shortlisted For Prestigious Art Award

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, 27 September, 2011

New Zealander 1 Of 15 Shortlisted For Prestigious International Art Competition

The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation have announced a New Zealander as one of the 15 finalists shortlisted for the 2011 APB Foundation Signature Art Prize.

Auckland born photographer, Greg Semu’s photo series, The Last Cannibal Supper, has earned a shortlisted placement in the international competition seeing artists vie for a $45,000 grand prize.

Semu’s striking work, The Last Cannibal Supper, is a provocative re-enactment of Leonardo Da Vinci’s similarly titled piece – The Last Supper. Featuring Semu himself at the centre of the main work ‘Auto-portrait with 12 Deciples (sic)’, palm branches, flax walls, and shells strike a Pacific resonance in a series which explores the religious colonisation of the Kanak people, indigenous of Noumea.

The Samoan photographer grew up in a religiously indoctrinated family, and recalls everyday of his childhood looking at a wall size rug of Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece hanging above the fireplace in the family home.

“Sometimes I would feel myself dissolving into the image’s details like the table legs, the windows, the roof,” says Semu.

This year’s shortlist was selected from the 130 artworks which were nominated from 24 countries and territories for the Prize. The 15 finalists come from 14 countries and territories across Asia Pacific. Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam has one finalist each, while South Korea has two finalists.

Making the selection was the jury panel of five eminent art experts: Mr. Fumio Nanjo, Director, Mori Art Museum; Mr. Gregor Muir, Executive Director, Institute of Contemporary Arts London; Mr. Hendro Wijanto, leading Southeast Asian writer, critic and curator; Mr. Ranjit Hoskote, Curator of the India Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2011 and leading South Asian poet-writer, curator and critic, and Mr. Tan Boon Hui, Director, SAM.

According to a statement from the jury panel, “The Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize has proved to be highly competitive, not only because of the considerable number of nominated artworks, but also due to the sheer calibre and diversity of the artworks emerging from the region. Each of the 15 shortlisted works has stood out for its strength of concept and execution, and many are also extremely moving pieces. The Signature Art Prize does not rest on a system of national quotas. Rather, it recognises and honours the outstanding merit of the singular art-work or art project.

Taken collectively, the artworks demonstrate the thriving vibrancy of art-making in Asia Pacific today. The 15 finalist works draw equally on the artists' personal experience and the historical trajectories of their societies. They reflect the artists' sophisticated responses to contemporary issues facing their region in a highly interconnected global present. The artworks also showcase the range of mediums and techniques used in contemporary art-making in the region. Asia Pacific artists extend and enrich their practices in diverse ways: by engaging with the heterogeneity of craft cultures, by addressing the fine-arts legacy, and through the critical application of new technologies. We look forward to viewing the works when they are presented at the Singapore Art Museum in November.”

All 15 finalist artworks will be presented in The Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize 2011 Finalists Exhibition at SAM in November.

Mr Tan Boon Hui, Director of Singapore Art Museum, says, “As a museum dedicated to contemporary art of the region, SAM is pleased to bring together all these finalist artworks and showcase these marks of distinction in Asia Pacific contemporary art in our galleries. The Signature Art Prize is one-of-its-kind in this part of the world, and is a wonderful and democratic way to recognise good, quality work by artists in the region, regardless of their origins or whether they are established or just emerging. The impressive range of works and artistic concepts reflected will undoubtedly give visitors further insight into the region and its distinctive and dynamic contemporary art practice. We also invite the public to actively participate in the People’s Choice Award and vote for their favourite work.”

Ms. Sarah Koh, General Manager, Group Corporate Communications, Asia Pacific Breweries Limited adds, “The APB Foundation is committed to encouraging the growth of a vibrant arts scene in the region and are extremely excited to be involved in the presentation of these quality contemporary artworks uncovered by this year’s APB Foundation Signature Art Prize.”

On 17 November, five winners including one Grand Prize winner (SGD 45,000), three Jurors’ Choice Award winners (SGD 10,000 each) and one People’s Choice Award winner (SGD 10,000), will be announced at the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize Awards Ceremony. While the Grand Prize and Jurors’ Choice Awards will be conferred by the judging panel following a viewing of the installed works, the People’s Choice Award will be presented to the public’s most loved work. Supporters can nominate their favourite finalist work for the award online at www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/signatureartprize from 1 October 2011 or cast their votes in person at the Asia Pacific Foundation Signature Art Prize 2011 Finalists Exhibition. Those who vo te will stand the chance to win an Apple MacBook Air, or receive one of 20 limited edition commemorative catalogues about the Prize, the finalists and their artwork.

The Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize 2011 Finalists Exhibition will run from 11 November 2011 to 4 March 2012, with a series of curatorial talks, artist talks, guided tours and other outreach activities held in conjunction with the show to give the public more insight into each of the finalist works.

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