The Sovereign Art Foundation announced Pala Pothupitiye as the winner of the 2010 Sovereign Asian Art Prize last night at a gala dinner and auction sponsored by Julius Baer, leading Swiss private banking group with a longstanding tradition of supporting the arts. Hailing from Sri Lanka, Pala was the recipient of the US$25,000 prize for Jaffna Map, in which he recrafts official maps of Jaffna, located in the northern tip of Sri Lanka and a key city in the war between the Tamil Tigers from the north and the southern Sinhala Lions. Ferocious teeth and claws of Lions and Tigers decorate the land mass, while the ‘internally displaced persons’ are represented in the border areas, being chased away from the bestial clash.
The winner of the US$1000 Schoeni Prize, which was determined by a public vote, was also announced as Anton Del Castillo, for Toy Soldier.
Over 400 nominated entries from across Asia were received this year, of which 30 finalists were selected by a distinguished panel of judges: David Elliott, Fumio Nanjo, Lars Nittve, Tan Boon Hui, David Tang and Xu Bing. The works of the remaining 29 finalists were auctioned off last night, with sales totalling over US$300,000. Half of the proceeds go to the artists and the other half is donated to arts charities supported by The Sovereign Art Foundation. The winning artwork is retained by The Sovereign Art Foundation in order to promote the artist and Asian art to the community at large. The work will be eventually donated to a museum or used to further charitable causes.
Major auction results include:
- Artificial Wonderland No.2 by Yang Yongliang, US$35,000
- Witness from Baghdad by Halim Al-Karim, US$24,000
- After a Hard Day’s Work by Amanullah Mojadidi, US $14,000
A special edition Gucci watch, inspired by the Grammy Awards, was presented to the highest bidder on the evening.
Howard Bilton, Chairman of The Sovereign Group, commented, “Our judges were particularly impressed with the standard of entries this year. I think we certainly found the strongest ever group of finalists. It was therefore no surprise that nearly all works found buyers at above estimated prices. We expect many of these mid-career artists to go onto bigger and better things in the near future and buyers will find they picked up a real bargain even if they paid well over estimate.”
The 2010 Sovereign Asian Art Prize was principally sponsored by Julius Baer, the 120-year-old Swiss bank with an unwavering tradition and dedication in supporting the arts. Andrea Benenati, CEO Hong Kong & North Asia stated, “We are proud of our sponsorship of The 2010 Asian Sovereign Art Prize which marked our first step in supporting the development of Asia’s art scene. As we decisively growing Asia into our second home market, we hope to continue to extend our global commitment of nurturing artistic talents to the Asia region. ”
Winner Pala Pothupitiye stated, “I am deeply honoured to be recognised by the prestigious Sovereign Asian Art Prize. I am proud to be able represent Sri Lankan art and share it with the greater Asian region. The prize money will enable me to actualize ideas and work on projects that I otherwise would be unable to pursue and raise awareness for Sri Lankan art.”
This year, The Sovereign Art Foundation has pledged to continue its support to help the children in M’Lop Tapang in Cambodia and Kalki in India using the arts as rehabilitation and therapy. The Foundation will also be launching a new partnership with the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation in Vietnam. Bilton commented, “Our thanks go to everyone who supported us this year. This money will make a real difference to the charities we support. We are going to be able to improve the lives of a significant number of disadvantaged children.”
Held at the Four Seasons hotel, the gala dinner attracted 360 guests, including a panoply of high-profile members of Hong Kong’s arts, fashion, and business arenas, such as Vivienne Tam, Irene Wan, Bob and Stacey Morse, Dr. Mohindra Boya and Lina Ross, and Nick and Melanie Simunovic.
