Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, UOB Group and Chairman of the UOB Art Committee

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning

1          Pablo Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist when he grows up.” The United Overseas Bank Group (UOB) annual Painting Of The Year Competition, now in its 27^th year, has helped to address this by contributing to the discovery and appreciation of local artists and their work.

2          This is important as a nation is judged not just by the power of its economy but the nature of its society. Do we honour the businessman but not the artist? Do we admire tall buildings but not the creative spirit that informs their designs? Are we so caught up with the material that we forget the richness and diversity of our people, our realities, our history? As John F Kennedy said in his tribute to Robert Frost, “A nation which disdains the mission of art invites the fate of Robert Frost’s hired man, the fate of having nothing to look backward to with pride and nothing to look forward to with hope.”

3          Art is a great civilising force. It is the soul of a nation. It is the way in which we voice our histories and our aspirations; it is the way in which we reflect upon and comment on our society and our life. It is our conscience and our interlocutor; our imagination and our memory.

4          So I applaud UOB and other like-minded corporate sponsors whose generous support of the arts have made such a difference to our local arts scene. I urge others to follow this road less taken.

5          My heartiest congratulations to the winners and participants of this year’s Competition.

6          I wish all of you success in your artistic pursuits.