Committed to our vibrant city through art,
the community and entrepreneurship.
UOB partners National Gallery Singapore.
Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and Group CEO of UOB (6th from left) with Ms Chong Siak Ching, CEO of National Gallery Singapore (5th from left) and other guests at the signing ceremony in January 2015.
National Gallery Singapore
A long-term partnership was formed between UOB and National Gallery Singapore to promote the world’s largest collection of Southeast Asian modern art.
The collection comprises 8,000 pieces of artworks from across the region. Of this, 400 paintings, sculptures and drawings will be curated for the first exhibition in the new UOB Southeast Asia Gallery.
The UOB Southeast Asia Gallery will span over 2,000 square metres over three levels in the iconic heritage building that was the Singapore Supreme Court. As a founding partner of the Gallery, UOB will also have naming opportunity to the UOB City Hall Courtyard, located in the City Hall wing.
Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer, UOB, said this partnership is a natural extension of the Bank’s long-term support of the arts and commitment to the region.
“Southeast Asia is our focus and where we see our future. Over the last few decades, we have built an extensive network to serve and to connect our customers across the region. During that time, we have also been supporting artists in the region as part of our community efforts.”
“We believe that art can draw together people from different backgrounds and cultures and we are honoured to be part of the Gallery’s efforts to showcase Southeast Asian arts to the world,” Mr Wee said.
UOB has a long history of supporting the arts and artists in the region. The Bank started collecting paintings by Singapore’s artists in the 1970s and continued with the launch of the UOB Painting of the Year competition in 1982. UOB Painting of the Year competition is today the longest-running art competition in Singapore and one of the most prominent in the region, drawing artists from across Southeast Asia to share their vision and passion.
For a closer look at the top paintings from the competition, please visit www.uobpoy.com.
About National Gallery Singapore
National Gallery Singapore is a brand new visual arts museum that engages, excites and inspires with the art of Singapore, Southeast Asia and the world.
Located in the heart of the Civic District, National Gallery Singapore has been restored and transformed from two monumental buildings — the City Hall and the former Supreme Court. It will not only be the largest visual arts venue in Singapore but also one of the largest in the region.
For those who are curious to know more about National Gallery Singapore, please visit www.nationalgallery.sg.
Members of the public taking part in the SG50 Portraits of the People event at the UOB Plaza Atrium.
Participants of the event sharing their self-portraits.
UOB employees having fun with their self-portraits.
During the week of 6 April 2015, 145 UOB employees and more than 250 members of the public had fun sketching their self-portraits and writing their wishes for the nation in celebration of Singapore’s 50th birthday. UOB Plaza Atrium was selected as an ideal location for Singaporeans to gather and participate in this activity.
Portraits of the People is a series of SG50 events where people sketch their self-portraits at one of 50 locations and write a few lines on what Singapore’s National Pledge means to them. Organised by the National Gallery Singapore, selected portraits will be collated in a montage that will be displayed along the 290 metres Art Connector, a permanent aesthetic sheltered walkway that links City Hall MRT to the entrance of the Gallery. It will be officially opened in November 2015 as part of the Gallery’s SG50 Art Carnival.
A participant shared that she learnt a few things after taking part in the event at UOB Plaza Atrium.
“I went to search for the Chinese version of the pledge after learning that it comes in the four national languages at the Portraits of the People activity. I then taught this to my children and used it to tell them about the struggles faced by Singapore during the early days and why we should not take what we currently have for granted.” she said.
“It’s good to see such initiatives by UOB. These initiatives help us to understand what’s going on in the community so that we can play our part.”
The Portraits of the People event has successfully closed in June 2015.
Over 50 original pieces featured at the UOB-sponsored photography-poetry exhibition for charity.
Mr Ho Ren Chun and his sister, Ms Ho Ren Yung, creators of the “Photography, Poetry and Purpose” exhibition.
Mr Ho sharing his vision for the arts as part of the fundraising efforts for his 50forFifty initiative.
UOB is proud to be a corporate sponsor for the 50forFifty fundraising initiative which is organised by a group of fifty young change-makers.
As part of the SG50 celebrations, they have pledged to raise S$5 million for charity with a focus on social inequality, the aging population, social cohesion, medical care and the environment.
Throughout the year, these creative fund-raisers have been raising awareness of community issues through events such as charity auctions, art exhibitions and carnivals.
UOB-sponsored photography-poetry exhibition raises funds for arts education
A photography-poetry charity exhibition held by 50forFifty changemaker, Mr Ho Ren Chun, and sponsored by UOB, has raised more than S$90,000 for charity.
The sponsorship is part of the Bank’s commitment to support the development of the arts with our community.
Titled “Photography, Poetry and Purpose”, the exhibition featured printed pieces that combined original photography and poetry by Mr Ho and his sister, Ms Ho Ren Yung. The pieces revolved around themes such as identity and possibility, which related to how art is an important medium for expression, especially for people that may face challenges or isolation.
“I felt ‘50forFifty’ was a great and unique opportunity for young people to show that they want to make an effort towards positive change. It was also a humbling experience to learn more about the good work being done by many charities,” said Mr Ho.
More than 50 original photography-poetry pieces by the siblings were sold over two showings of the exhibition held between November and December 2014.
The proceeds of more than S$90,000, including a S$25,000 donation by UOB and matching funds from the National Council of Social Service's Care and Share movement, were presented to Very Special Arts (VSA) Singapore.
VSA is a charity dedicated to providing people with disabilities with access to arts education for rehabilitation and social integration purposes.
Mr Ho and his sister identified with VSA as they felt that art has helped them in their own lives to self-express and be resilient. As such they wanted to use their creativity to assist VSA’s mission of providing art opportunities to people with disabilities.
Mr Christopher Yeow, Executive Director of VSA, said the funds raised would be used to provide opportunities for more children to attend art classes and workshops.
“The funds will go a long way in helping to achieve our vision of building an inclusive society where people with disabilities can participate in, learn from and enjoy the arts,” said Mr Yeow.
Mr Goh Beng Kwan, winner of the first UOB Painting of the Year competition in 1982 and Cultural Medallion recipient in 1989, guiding the children from APSN Katong to paint a wall mural titled Home. UOB volunteers were also present to give the children a helping hand.
Group photo of the participants of the UOB SG50 wall mural painting activity.
On 22 July 2015, UOB brought together different generations of Singaporeans to paint a wall mural that depicts their love for their home and country. This is one of UOB’s SG50 art activities lined up in celebration of Singapore’s Golden Jubilee.
The first winner of the UOB Painting of the Year competition in 1982, Mr Goh Beng Kwan, 30 children from the Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN) Katong School and 20 UOB employees gathered at Block 119 Aljunied Avenue 2 to give a two-storey shop house a colourful facelift.
Together the group painted a mural on the façade of the building measuring about 7 metres high by 15 metres wide. The mural, titled Home, is a montage of the children’s drawings of the people and places in Singapore that are closest to their hearts. Mr Goh weaved elements from each piece into a vibrant mixed media mural artwork.
Mr Goh, 79, praised the children’s creativity and said it was a meaningful experience to work with them to produce a piece of community art to mark Singapore’s 50th birthday. “As they say, home is where the heart is and I am delighted to help our young Singaporeans use art to express the love for what is dear to them during this Golden Jubilee. I also appreciate this opportunity to share my passion for art with the children and hope our mural painting today will have a lasting impact on their creativity and self-confidence,” Mr Goh said.
Mr Goh is a pioneer Singapore artist well known for his abstract art paintings. He won the inaugural UOB Painting of the Year competition with his abstract collage The Dune and received the Cultural Medallion from the National Arts Council in 1989 for his achievements in visual arts.
The mural painting session was facilitated by Social Creatives, a non-profit social enterprise which aims to promote art to the public through community art. It is the third of six art events which UOB will be organising this year for more than 100 children from the Bank’s charity partners.
Mr Ho Ren Chun and his sister, Ms Ho Ren Yung, creators of the “Photography, Poetry and Purpose” exhibition.
Over 50 original pieces featured at the UOB-sponsored photography-poetry exhibition for charity.
Mr Ho sharing his vision for the arts as part of the fundraising efforts for his 50forFifty initiative.
The nine representatives of our Pioneer Enterprises with Minister Chan Chun Sing (middle), Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and Group CEO of UOB (6th from left), Mr Frederick Chin, Head of Group Wholesale Banking, UOB (first from right) and Mr Eric Tham, Head of Group Commercial Banking, UOB (first from left).
As part of UOB’s SG50 celebrations, UOB Commercial Banking pays tribute to its long-time clients and recognises the essential role the business community plays in nation building. These pioneer enterprises, such as Lian Hup Metal Co Pte Ltd and Chan Brothers Travel Pte Ltd have banked with UOB for more than 50 years.
In recognition of the selected Pioneer Enterprises, UOB Commercial Banking presented a specially-commissioned plaque featuring an exclusive 999 pure gold coin engraved with ‘Celebrating Pioneer Enterprises’ to each customer. Nine of these customers representing the respective industries were presented the plaque by Minister Chan Chun Sing, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, at the 2015 UOB Commercial Banking Chinese New Year dinner in February 2015.
Mr Khua H. S, Group Chairman, Lian Hup Metal Co Pte Ltd, said: “50 years ago, property was cheap, manpower was cheap. We did everything ourselves bit by bit and made profits bit by bit. Doing business is very different now. Property is expensive and competition is stiff. Information is readily available with the use of computers and everything is much more convenient. Anything can be found on the internet. UOB has been with us every step of the way, and supported us through the diversification of our business over the years.”
“Coming from the banking industry before joining the family business, I know too well the importance of banks and other financial institutions. UOB has been a strong supporter of SMEs and has helped to grow many local companies, and we appreciate this long relationship we have with UOB,” Mr Anthony Chan, Group Managing Director, Chan Brothers Travel Pte Ltd added.
From left to right, Mr Eric Tham, Managing Director, Group Commercial Banking, UOB, Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and Group CEO, UOB and Mr Gong Yao Ming, artist.
From left to right, Mr Eric Tham, Managing Director, Group Commercial Banking, UOB, Mr Fred Chin, Managing Director, Group Wholesale Banking, UOB, Minister Chan Chun Sing, Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and Group CEO, UOB, Mr Ma On May and Mr Ma Wong Ching, winners of the charity auction, Ramatex Group, Mr Gong Yao Min, artist.
UOB Group Deputy Chairman and CEO Wee Ee Cheong and two-time winner of the UOB Painting of the Year competition, artist Gong Yao Ming have put ink to paper to commemorate SG50, the golden jubilee of Singapore’s independence.
The painting mixes the technique of contemporary Chinese brush ink with a canvas of traditional rice paper, similarly juxtaposing the country’s present with its past in the subject. It depicts the embankment between the Singapore River and Boat Quay – a historically significant site where the country's economic growth took root.
Drawing inspiration from the cityscape such as the iconic buildings of the two UOB Plazas, National Gallery Singapore and Fullerton Hotel, the artist wanted to portray the rise of the country from a small trading port to one of the world’s largest and most influential financial centres.
The 1.5 metre by 1.0 metre painting was revealed to 500 of UOB’s Commercial Banking customers at a charity auction during the Bank's annual Lunar New Year dinner in February 2015.
UOB began the evening’s auction with a S$250,000 donation. A total sum of S$750,000 was raised with a winning bid of S$500,000 from UOB’s Commercial Banking customer. Proceeds from the charity auction were donated to the underprivileged children with artistic talent through the BT Budding Artist Fund and the elderly through the SAGE Counselling Centre.
