Forty-four of Southeast Asia’s most inspiring contemporary artworks will arrive on May 7 in Nusa Dua, Bali for the final round of judging in the ASEAN Art Awards 2002. The diversity of the art alone will create international attention for the region’s best emerging talent and their unique styles of artistic expression.

From Bali, the winning entries will be exhibited at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta from 27 May until 8 June and will form part of the Association’s series of public events to mark the organization’s 35th anniversary. Philip Morris Asia Limited is co-sponsoring the exhibition in Bali and Jakarta.

The regional final which will take place in Bali from May 7 to 9, is the culmination of national competitions previously held in the following ASEAN member states: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The Grand Prize winner receives US$15,000 while each Juror’s Choice Award winner receives US$5,000.

ASEAN Secretary General Rodolfo C. Severino Jr., in his message to the participants and organizers of this year’s competition said that “in recent years, contemporary Southeast Asian art, has matured very rapidly and contributed significantly to the major surge of interest among art lovers from every corner of the world. This year’s entries clearly reflect the growing dynamism in the region’s artistic landscape and will no doubt stir the pride of every ASEAN citizen.”

Ellis Woodward, Vice President of Philip Morris Asia Limited added, “The ASEAN Art Awards were initiated to encourage, inspire and reward, and most importantly support, creative works by established and emerging artists within the region.  It represents one of the most comprehensive and prestigious two dimensional art competitions in Southeast Asia.”

Fostering contact between art communities in Southeast Asia is an important part of the ASEAN Art Awards, and over the years, more than 20,000 artists and 250,000 art enthusiasts have interacted with one another.

The ASEAN Art Awards was established in 1994 in Singapore. Previously ASEAN Art Award Finals were held in Singapore (1994, 2000), Jakarta (1995), Bangkok (1996), Manila (1997), Hanoi (1998). Kuala Lumpur (1999). The Awards was sponsored by the Philip Morris Group of Companies and was built on the Group’s forty year heritage of support for the arts and cultural activities around the world. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has endorsed this project and is supported by 33 national art institutions – in the ASEAN member countries.