Dragonair launches Emerging Chinese Artist Awards

Dragonair and Mainland art gallery, Art Scene China, have joined together to launch the inaugural Dragonair Emerging Chinese Artist Awards (DECAA). The awards aim to encourage and promote the talent of young Chinese painters and to provide them with a platform for international recognition.

Artists born in 1970 or after are invited to enter works in the awards competition, the theme of which is “The Beauty of Art”. Paintings can be oil-based, acrylic, water ink, watercolour or mixed media on canvas. Application is now open and will close on 31 October 2005.

Singmay Chou, Dragonair’s General Manager, Marketing, said, “Earlier this year, we invited Chinese artist Zhong Biao to interpret our new advertising campaign ‘The Beauty of Flying’, and it was a huge success. We hope the awards will give more Chinese artists the same opportunity to reach a wider audience.”

“This is the first awards competition of its kind in China, and marks a major milestone in the development of China’s art scene,” said Sami Wafa, Director of Art Scene China. “China has a lot of artistic talent, and with Dragonair’s support we can help bring the best that the country has to offer to art lovers within China and internationally.”

The works will be judged by a panel of distinguished personalities from the art world, such as international museum directors and curators, art critics, and artists. The results will be announced on 10 December 2005. The awards comprise of a Gold Award (with a cash prize of Rmb66,000), a Silver Award (with a cash prize of Rmb16,000) and a People’s Choice Award (with a cash prize of Rmb10,000). A selection of the top 20 pieces will be exhibited at Art Cologne in Germany, one of the world’s most important art expositions, as well as at Art Scene Warehouse in Shanghai, and at venues in Hong Kong and many other locations worldwide.

Gerard Goodrow, Director of Art Cologne, has been named President of the Judging Panel. Other members include are Jeff Kelley, Co-curator of the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, Marion Ackermann, Director of the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Magdalena Kroener, a leading German art critic and a writer for KunstForum Magazine, Chinese artist Zhong Biao, Ms. Chou and Mr. Wafa.

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