Student works in UOB Painting of the Year competition raise social issues including overattachment to devices

SINGAPORE – An oil painting of migrant workers at a construction site standing against a lattice of steel rebars — a common sight in Singapore — earned Hwa Chong Institution Secondary 4 student Yang Yiduo a finalist spot in a prestigious annual art competition.

The 16-year-old’s entry was shortlisted for the UOB Painting of the Year competition’s Emerging Artist category, which is meant for novice and hobbyist artists. The other category, the Established Artists category, is for experienced artists with more standing.

The annual competition, which started in 1982, is among one of the longest-running art competitions in Singapore and the region.

Yiduo’s painting was also among selected works that were displayed as part of the 2026 UOB Painting of the Year Emerging Artists Finalists’ Showcase on Aug 29 and 30, and Sept 4 to 6. UOB did not disclose the total number of finalists, though 23 of the works were displayed, including Yiduo’s.

Said Yiduo of his work Between the Rebars of Our City: “I want people to feel a sense of intimidation from the lattice of the steel rebars, the imposing size of it…I want them to feel the insignificance that some (migrant workers) might feel although their work is extremely crucial to the foundations of a lot of infrastructure in our city.”

He was inspired by the short story Rich Man Country, which is about the life of a migrant worker in the construction sector, by Leonora Liow. The short story was part of a 2018 anthology Hook & Eye: Stories From The Margins, which he had read in his Sec 3 English Literature lessons.

He was also partially inspired by his personal experience of Project Integrate, his school’s long-running service learning project that includes outreach and engagement with migrant workers in Singapore. As part of the project, he interacted with and played sports with migrant workers in their dormitories.

Contrary to stereotypes that manual labourers have a lower level of education, he learnt from speaking with them that “some of them were actually university students from India or Bangladesh, and they’ve come here for various reasons”.

He said he also kept up with the news about the treatment of migrant workers during the Covid-19 period: “I’ve heard a lot about the harsh conditions that migrant workers often have to deal with in their lives, especially during the Covid-19 era where there were a lot of news of severe outbreaks within these dormitories.

“After the events of Covid-19, many of these dormitories were upgraded but I guess a question that is quite common that arises from this is: What’s the place that these migrant workers really have in Singapore?”

That is a question that his painting leaves viewers to mull over.

Another young Emerging Artist finalist whose work was also showcased was that of Nanyang Girls’ High School student Lorraine Wong, who aimed to get people to reflect on their use of personal devices.

Her work titled Disconnected, which showed disconnected devices and sleeping dogs, was inspired by her observation: “Wherever I went, be it in school or at home for example, people were mostly on their phones and not communicating with each other.”

Added the 15-year-old: “I hope to emphasise to viewers the negative impact of technology on our social life, and allow them to reflect on themselves and start connecting with their loved ones.”

Both Yiduo and Lorraine are in the Art Elective Programme in their respective schools. HCI and NYGH said that students were encouraged to take part in art competitions, though participation was voluntary.

Before a change of UOB Painting of the Year competition rules in 2013 that differentiated novice and experienced artists, students had previously snagged the top prize.

Notably, in 2012, HCI student Esmond Loh, then 17, snagged the top prize of UOB Painting of the Year when the competition had Youth and Open categories, with the top prize available to participants in either category. Loh, currently an artist, now primarily creates paintings.

In 2013, a revamp of the competition categories by level of experience meant that the Painting of the Year winner is now chosen from the Established Artist category, while the Emerging Artist category names the Most Promising Artist of the Year.

The winner of the 2026 UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year – the competition is held in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam with individual country winners, as well as an overall regional winner – and the Singapore winners from the Established Artist and Emerging Artist categories will be announced on Oct 28.