Viraag Desai, an India-based multimedia artist and five other Hong Kong and Singapore-based artists have recently won the second edition of the ‘Julius Baer Next Generation Art Prize for Asia’. Other five winners, who were chosen by a jury of industry experts, include Andre Wee (Singapore), Carla Chan (Hong Kong), Jamela Law (Hong Kong), Natalie Wong (Hong Kong) and Wan Kyn Chan (Singapore).
As part of the prize, each of the six artists will be rewarded with a USD 10,000 and the opportunity to join a three-month ‘Art and Technology Accelerator Programme’. Under this programme, they will get to develop their proposed concepts into digital artwork that will be shown at a virtual showcase later this year.
Touted as the first-of-its-kind programme in Asia, this accelerator programme seeks to provide access to mentorship and resources from industry experts to help the artists push their creative boundaries. Viraag Desai expressed his delight at winning the opportunity and stated he was looking forward “to digging deep and producing something really exciting for [his] work”.
To participate in the contest, digital Asian artists aged 21 to 40 were required to submit artwork concept proposals that revolved around the theme of sustainability or any of the Julius Baer Next Generation investment themes such as Future Cities, Digital Disruption, and Sustainability. Out of the 313 submissions, 3 key themes emerged that maximized the use of data mapping, 2D and 3D image rendering, A.I. generated art, virtual and augmented reality, and interactive data.
Jimmy Lee, a member of the executive Board, Julius Baer Group Ltd and Head Asia Pacific commented that the creative proposals for this year’s Prize impressed them with high-quality concepts. He further added that they are amazed to see how their winning artists will bring their exceptional proposals to life.
Julius Baer is an international wealth management firm from Switzerland, providing a wide range of services and solutions that are tailored to the financial needs of its clients. The company keeps at the forefront of innovation by focusing on the digital transformation of their core business and developing digital solutions for clients and beyond.
