With a mission to uncover and nurture artistic talent across the region, the UOB Painting of the Year competition is one of Southeast Asia’s most prestigious art awards where artists are invited to create artworks that showcase their creativity and mastery. Inaugurated in 1982, this annual competition marks its 40th anniversary with the theme “Of Imagination and Ingenuity”. Launched here in 2011, the 2021 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) unveiled its competition winners recently.
Sack Tin Lim is one of this year’s deserving winners, bagging the Silver Award in the Emerging Artist Category. The 31-year-old who hails from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah is a Senior Art Lecturer of The One Academy’s Fine Arts faculty. Expressing surprise on his win, he said that being shortlisted in the first round was already an accomplishment as the competition was really tough.
Sack’s winning submission is titled ‘Self Portrait – All Grown Up’, an acrylic on paper artwork consisting of 167 self-designed miniature paper doll outfit cut-outs, featuring a wide range of styles from tuxedos, gowns, floral dresses, jumpsuits, fur coats, leopard prints, gym wear and more, arranged according to the colours of the spectrum.
Paper doll dress up is a childhood hobby close to the artist’s heart, a memory that brims with nostalgia. When he was younger, Sack designed and made his own paper dolls for the sheer joy of creation and imaginative role play. This collection of self-made designs from the year 2000 is safely tucked away in a cherished rusty tin box to this day.
“Art should be playful. This is my intention with the creation of ‘Self Portrait – All Grown Up’, it defines who I am. It revisits the fun I had crafting paper doll outfits as a child, through the lens of my current self,” explained Sack, who hopes that the viewers can experience the same nostalgic delight and spirit of playfulness through this collection.
His winning artwork titled ‘Self Portrait – All Grown Up’.
The entire artwork creation was completed in May during the lockdown, where he mentioned that one of the challenges he faced was difficulties in getting materials because art shops were not open for business then. He shared that he is inspired by what he observes and what he loves, most often about subjects or issues that concerns him and touches his heart.
“Whenever I create, I feel contented when I enter into a state of flow. If I were to choose only one medium to work with, I would go for oil paint. Any medium works, what’s most important is if the visual aesthetics and content is delivered. For me, a style is delivered when the content is fully expressed. Hence, everyone has their own distinctive styles,” expressed Sack.
“Art can be in any form, as long as it is sincere and expressed to the fullest. Be brave, make mistakes and enjoy the working process,” he imparts as an art educator. He commented that the art scene in Malaysia is vibrant with a diverse community of people and rich cultures, and believes that it will start growing rapidly despite the pandemic.
The One Academy is committed to providing the best art education programmes and continues to nurture its students passionately through its “Masters Train Masters” coaching philosophy, which has been practised for the past three decades, by providing diploma and degree courses namely Advertising & Graphic Design, Digital Animation, Digital Media Design, Film Visual Effects, Interior Architecture & Design, Illustration, Fine Arts and Paris Fashion Design & Pattern Making. For more information on The One Academy, visit www.toa.edu.my or call +603-7875 5510 or e-mail your enquiries to [email protected].
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