Bestari Award Ceremony 2019 was held by the Malay Literary Youth Association’s (4PM) to celebrate achievements of outstanding Malay-Muslim students in ITEs in Singapore. The theme for 2019 was Making Waves Tomorrow, a reminder to continue to lead a bright and impactful future.
The Mural
The first piece of artwork to be showcased is a large mural collage 1.4x1.4m greeting guests as they enter the venue. It is made up of 49 pieces of 8x8 canvases, each painted by an awardee during the pre-ceremony bonding activities. Initially, the individual pieces do not make sense, but when put together, even with a few mismatched areas, a strong and vibrant wave is created. This symbolizes how many small efforts can make something impactful.
MAKING
WAVES
TOMORROW
Development
Preparation
The outline of the artwork was drawn freehand after labeling each canvas by number. Paint colours were pre-made and colour coded to ensure each piece was in order. All of the awardees aspirations were written in black, outlining the waves to symbolize a push for the future.
Gifts-of-Honor
This second artwork "Move" was presented to the Guest-of-Honor of the event, Minister Indranee Rajah, as thanks for attending the ceremony.
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The wave concept was brought into this 400x300mm artwork as well, however looking more contemporary, abstract and minimalistic. The intent was for it to look formal yet decorative in living spaces. The organisation was represented in this artwork through their colours red, green and blue, which contrasts and compliments nicely with the cool blues.
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Paper quilling was the technique used to create a 3D effect in the artwork. Depending on where the light hits and where the shadow falls, this artwork can turn out differently, giving it a sense of illusion.
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The sponsors for the event were also given a token of appreciation. Following the idea of using paper, 5 papercutting artworks were made. There is a depth to each piece and what differentiates each piece is the background painting. Although the same bright yellow, they are all painted with different textures and styles.
As for guests and awardees, they received a tote bag with a geometric wave design. The design outlines part of the The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai. It is cut off into an inverted triangle, giving off a trendy look, suitable for the young attendees. As a momento for this event, "Making Waves Tomorrow" is written as a reminder on the bag.
