Expressions of Merdeka through art

In conjunction with the country’s 56th National Day celebrations next month, Federal Hotels International (FHI) and The Federal Kuala Lumpur, together with Switchup.tv, are organising the “Expressions of Malaysia Art” contest.

Open to all Malaysians aged 18 and above, the contest invites participants to create their own interpretation of Merdeka, expressing them through various art forms.

To convey their message, contestants can choose from four categories — Fine Art (oil or watercolour painting), Photography (black-and-white or colour), Digital Art (black-and-white or colour) or Videography (90-second multimedia).

At the launch recently, Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab commended FHI and The Federal Kuala Lumpur on the timeliness of the contest.

“This initiative is very much in line with the ministry’s upcoming Malaysia Contemporary Arts Tourism Festival 2013. We want to encourage budding artists to pursue their passion and, at the same time, promote Malaysia as an art hub,” he said.

The Federal Kuala Lumpur general manager Simon Leong said, “We believe this contest will test the creativity of participants and help discover more local talent in the field of art.

“We are targetting artists/young artists as well as youth and students to further instil the spirit and meaning of Merdeka among the younger generation,” said FHI group marketing, sales & business development and operations director Ooi Lee Ping.

“A panel comprising 12 professionals in related fields and those with an appreciation for art will judge the submissions based on the best expression of the theme, composition and technique, originality and creativity,” Ooi said.

Also present were Tunku Datin Paduka Khadijah, daughter of the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, FHI group director Steven L.Y. Chong, The Federal Hotel Kuala Lumpur room division manager Nancy Huang, its hotel manager Darren Tey and several judges for the contest.

For entry forms and detailed list of rules and regulations, visit www.fhihotels.com or www.facebook.com/thefederalkl.

Submissions of artworks should reach Federal Hotels Sdn Bhd at No 35, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100, Kuala Lumpur by July 16.

-thestar online.