Two Singapore artists in running for $60,000 prize

Singapore artists Zhao Renhui and Ho Tzu Nyen are among those vying for the $60,000 grand prize in the Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize. Their works are among those of 15 artists shortlisted for the prestigious regional prize, which began in 2008 and takes place every three years.

Ho, 38, is in the running for his immersive video installation Pythagaros (2013), while Zhao, 31, has been shortlisted for his mixed-media installation Eskimo Wolf Trap Often Quoted In Sermons (2013).

Other works on the shortlist include the performance and mixed-media installation I'm A Ghost In My Own House (2012) by Indonesia's Melati Suryodarmo and a series of 21 lenticular prints titled Kahani Eik Shehr Ki (Story Of A City, 2012) by Pakistan's Farida Batool.

The finalists were selected by a panel of five judges from 105 nominations from 24 countries and regions.

The nominations were made by 36 independent art experts including Hong Kong's influential curator and gallerist Johnson Chang. Works by six Singapore artists including Loo Zihan and Zulkifle Mahmod were on the longlist.

The judging panel for the top prize includes director of the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art, Mr Chris Saines; well-known Chinese curator Feng Boyi; and director of the Singapore Art Museum, Susie Lingham. The works will be exhibited at the Singapore Art Museum from Nov 14 until next March. The winner will be named in January.

This article was first published on Aug 28, 2014.
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