Indian-origin Singapore author Meira Chand among three Cultural Medallion awardees

Eight people from the sphere of artwork and tradition in Singapore have been conferred the Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award on the Istana this week. The awardees embody Indian-origin Singapore author Meira Chand. Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam was the Guest of Honour on the ceremony, alongside First Lady Jane Ittogi.

Chand, born in London and now a Singaporean citizen, is an acclaimed novelist and in addition the author of a narrative that impressed the vastly profitable Singapore stage manufacturing, LKY The Musical, in regards to the lifetime of the nation’s founding father, Lee Kuan Yew.

Presented by the National Arts Council of Singapore, the Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award are a part of the Pinnacle Arts Accolades. They recognise excellent practitioners who exemplify distinctive inventive expertise whereas elevating Singapore’s place within the international arts sector.

The three Cultural Medallion recipients and 5 Young Artist Award recipients made vital contributions to Singapore’s vibrant arts and cultural panorama throughout totally different artwork types, stated a media launch. “Collectively, they’ve helped to form and outline our distinct cultural id through the years, drawing from the richness of communities inside Singapore and across the area,” it added.

President Tharman stated, “I commend this 12 months’s recipients of Singapore’s Pinnacle Arts awards for his or her devoted craftsmanship and vital contributions to our rising arts and tradition scene. Each of our three new Cultural Medallion recipients is being recognised for his or her explorations by life, and for uplifting many others, not least the subsequent era of artists.”

Cultural Medallion

Established in 1979, the Cultural Medallion recognises people whose inventive excellence, in addition to contributions and dedication to the humanities, have formed Singapore’s rising cultural panorama. Individuals conferred with Singapore’s prime arts accolade have made vital strides domestically and internationally, displayed extraordinary management and impressed youthful artists.

This 12 months, the Cultural Medallion was awarded to three people — Meira Chand, Osman Abdul Hamid, and Suchen Christine Lim. This brings the entire variety of Cultural Medallion recipients to 135.

Award-winning novelist Meira Chand has captivated readers worldwide with tales that mirror her multicultural heritage and discover themes across the multiplicity of cultural identities.

Veteran dancer, choreographer, inventive director, producer, and educator Osman Abdul Hamid is a trailblazer in Singapore’s Malay dance scene. Cutting throughout disciplines, he has enthralled audiences along with his interpretation of latest Malay dance, which are sometimes multisensorial experiences.

Suchen Christine Lim is an award-winning author and considered one of Singapore’s most completed writers. She was the recipient of the inaugural Singapore Literature Prize in 1992 for her novel Fistful of Colours, which turned the primary Singaporean novel to be chosen for the GCE A-level English Literature syllabus in 2007 and has been studied at universities. She explores themes of multiculturalism and interculturalism by her works, which are sometimes set in opposition to vital historic occasions.

Young Artist Award

Instituted in 1992, the Young Artist Award honours practitioners aged 35 and beneath, in recognition of their impression to the neighborhood and the way they proceed to be inspiring function fashions who form Singapore’s arts and tradition. This 12 months, 5 recipients — Daryl Lim Wei Jie, Julian Wong, Melissa Tan, Shyan Tan, and Wang Chenwei — from numerous fields similar to movie, performing and visible arts have been conferred this award. Including this 12 months’s recipients, the Young Artist Award has been conferred on a complete of 178 artists.