Brunei artists honoured
By Jeani Goh


Philip Morris Group of Companies Brunei Art Awards 2000 Jurors' Choice Winners (front row, L-R): Hj Md. Abidin bin Hj. Rashid and Pg. Timbang bin Pg. Hj Tuah. Back row L-R: Pg Anak Md Yusuf bin Pg Anak Hj Sallehuddin, Marsidi bin Omar and Ali Hj. Abd Rahim.

The Philip Morris Brunei Art Awards presentation ceremony was held at Dewan Air Muleh, Brunei Arts and Handicraft Centre yesterday to honour the 30 most distinctive works of art by local Bruneian artists.

Held in conjunction with the official opening ceremony of the Brunei Exhibition, the occasion was officiated by the guest of honour ,Dato Paduka Awg Hj Abdullah Bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications.

"I am heartened by the fact that since Brunei artists entered the ASEAN Art Awards organised by Philip Morris in 1994, there has been tremendous changes in the art scene of Brunei Darussalam," he said.

"In moving away from restrictions of only paintings to a freer form, permitting two dimensional works within a reasonable size and depth, this allows greater scope for creativity and expression.

"This is a sound decision that should encourage more artists to enter the ASEAN Art Awards competition," he said.

The Director of Brunei Museums, Pengiran Haji Hashim Bin Pengiran Haji Mohammad Jadid, and chairman of the organising committee, said the inauguration of the Philip Morris Group of Companies Brunei Art Awards in 1994 and other art programmes and awards have also contributed to the overall development of Brunei contemporary art."

Robert Tay, Area Director, Philip Morris, said that starting this year, the scope of the competition has been widened to encourage and reward art from a broader diversity of form, size and medium.

When launched last April, artists joining the Brunei or ASEAN Art Awards competition had the flexibility to submit any form of two dimensional art , not just painting. Recent works that have been previously exhibited were also eligible for participation along with new works created for competition.

"These important changes made to the ASEAN Art Awards competition come as part of an ongoing process by Philip Morris to encourage more artists to participate and to continuously improve the quality of the entries.

They also intend to keep the awards relevant and in tune with the dynamic developments of contemporary art practice in the region, Tay added.

He continued "Indeed, we are particularly encouraged by the response from the Brunei Artists who have risen to the challenge with a broader and exciting variety of artistic expressions".

The 5 Jurors' Choice winners of the Philip Morris Group of Companies Brunei Art Awards 2000 are Marsidi bin Omar for " Lessons from Mother Earth", Hj Md Abidin bin Hj Rashid for "Adversity in Development", Pg Timbang bin Pg Hj Tuah for "The Looks", Ali bin Hj Abd Rahim for " Drama Behind the Scene" and Pg Anak Md Yusuf bin Pg Anak Hj Sallehuddin for " World of Today".

The judging panel of the Brunei Art Awards 2000 comprised art practitioners and art experts including three local judges and one regional judge from Singapore.

The panel of judges selected 25 honourable mentions and five Jurors' Choices. The selection of 30 winning entries was based on the integration of three criteria that included the creative use of medium, expression and technique, originality of artistic perception and mode of interpretation.

The five Jurors' Choices from Brunei will be sent to Singapore in November where they will compete against five Jurors' Choices from each of the other six participating ASEAN countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Brunei Art Awards competition and exhibition are organised with the support and endorsement of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, the Brunei Museums and the Brunei Artists' Association.

All 30 winning entries are exhibited at Dewan Air Muleh, Brunei Arts and Handicraft Centre until August 1, 2000. Admission is free.

Opening hours: From 9.30am to 5.00pm daily. Fridays: 9.30am to 11.30am and 2.30pm to 5.00pm. For general information, call Brunei Museums at 02-244545.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin