FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE2007 Sovereign Asian Art Prize: New Nominator for MyanmarCHIANG MAI, Thailand – October 2006. Since the ASEAN Art Awards barred Myanmar from participation in competition after the 2002 event, the prestigious Sovereign Asian Art Prize, with a first prize of US$25,000, is now the only venue within the region providing Myanmar artists with the opportunity to present their work in a major competition. Ms. Suter will be responsible for preliminary selection of paintings to be sent to the Sovereign in order for judges to select the top 30 finalists. After the finalist selection, a final round of judging will select the first-prize winner. The remaining 29 entries will go to auction. In Sovereign’s first Asian competition in 2004, five Myanmar artists were selected for the 30 finalist group. However, since 2004, no Myanmar artist has reached finalist status, in spite of 31 artists submitting entries for the 2006 competition. In commenting upon this situation, Ms. Suter remarked that “since the first Asian competition in 2004, artists from China, Indonesia, Thailand, and India have increasingly become very strong in submitting work that speaks to current environments in their respective countries in highly original, aesthetic, and contemporary formats. I think many Myanmar artists are not quite keeping pace with this rapid artistic development in the Asian region. However, I strongly believe there is a top tier of artists within Myanmar who is capable of making the finalist category. These are the ones I’m looking for.” If you want to enter the Sovereign competition, or have further questions, please send Ms. Suter an email at jsuter123@yahoo.com. She will be in Myanmar at the end of October and the first of November to view your potential entry and make a decision upon its selection for submission. The selected entries will be submitted by Ms. Suter to the Sovereign by November 15, 2006. Ms. Suter is the founder of Gold Leaf, a project to bring the top contemporary Myanmar artists to international awareness. She is also the founder of the Friends of Myanmar Artists, in conjunction with the support of the American Center in Yangon. However, her voluntary activities in Myanmar on behalf of the Sovereign Art Foundation are in no way connected with Gold Leaf. An artist does not need to be a member of Gold Leaf to have their painting considered for the Sovereign competition. Contact: |
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