Art of the Year Award: Everyday Stories and Urban Sorrows

On the evening of October 8, in Ho Chi Minh City, UOB Vietnam Bank held the UOB Painting of the Year 2025 Award Ceremony, honoring outstanding works of contemporary Vietnamese art. The highest prize in the Established Artist category went to young artist Cao Van Thuc with the work Temporary Connection - a lacquer painting combining acid etching techniques on an aluminum alloy background, evoking the image of a modern urban area intertwined with the fate of migrant workers.

In the reflected light of the metal, the hard-working figures crammed into the back of a truck stand out against the bright urban backdrop. The work creates a strong visual contrast between “urban glamour” and “the hardships of making a living”, thereby subtly depicting two parallel worlds in contemporary urban life.

The winners of the Promising Artist and Established Artist categories this year.

“I want to show their quiet beauty and perseverance with all respect. The “invisible threads” that bind them together are faith and empathy to help them overcome difficult days in a foreign land,” artist Cao Van Thuc (30 years old) shared at the award ceremony.

The prize brings him 500 million VND and the opportunity to represent Vietnam to compete in the Southeast Asian regional finals this coming November in Singapore.

The work "Temporary Connection" by artist Cao Van Thuc

Evaluating the work, Mr. Victor Ngo, General Director of UOB Vietnam, commented: "Cao Van Thuc's work deeply reflects the lives of ordinary workers, expressing a humanistic perspective on the transformation of modern society."

Painter Dang Xuan Hoa, Head of the Jury, said that Cao Van Thuc represents “a new generation of artists – bold, creative, daring to face the truth of life”.

Painter Cao Van Thuc and his works

In the Promising Artist category, writer-painter Nguyen Ngoc Thuan (53 years old) won the top prize with his work Self-portrait, 2025 (Life takes root in me under the shadow of a tree). Inspired by the defibrillator device (ICD) that he has been using for 10 years, the work has become a symbol of the “mother tree” – life, hope and inner strength.

"Self-portrait, 2025 (life takes root in me under the shadow of a tree)" by Nguyen Ngoc Thuan

“I wondered if it was too late to start painting at the age of 53. This award gave me the answer: it is never too late,” said writer and artist Nguyen Ngoc Thuan.

Nguyen Ngoc Thuan and his works.

In addition, many other works also made a strong impression such as Reality and Reality 02 (Vu Hoang), Four parallel sentences on the Mekong River (Tran Quoc Giang), Memory of the Land (Ngo Thanh Hung) or Threshold State (Tran Viet Long), reflecting environmental issues, urban memories, the fragility of nature and personal identity with a new painting language.

Visitors view the exhibition of UOB Painting of the Year 2025 winning and finalist works.

The exhibition of winning and finalist works is open from October 10 to 27 at Chillala House of Art (75 Xuan Thuy, An Khanh Ward, HCMC), open to the public free of charge.

Established in 1982 in Singapore, UOB Painting of the Year is one of the most prestigious art awards in Southeast Asia. For the third time held in Vietnam, the award continues to affirm the core values ​​of art - starting from life, from hidden corners, memories and very human emotions.

BLUE

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/giai-thuong-my-thuat-cua-nam-cau-chuyen-doi-thuong-va-noi-niem-do-thi-post817085.html