Citibank to showcase BT budding artists' work on its calendars and hongbao

Singapore

MORE than a dozen young artists will see their work featured in Citi Commercial Bank's (CCB) calendar and Lunar New Year red packets in 2016.

The bank teamed up with The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BAF) in August to run an art competition for 37 visual artists aged 7 to 19, with the winners' pieces to go on CCB's marketing material. The artists worked on the theme of "Transformation and innovation in banking in the next 50 years" for the calendar, and on the theme of "Spring Flowers" for the red packets. Judges picked 12 pieces for the calendar and three for the red packets. A collage of CCB's offices against the Singapore landscape, painted by bankers and BAF artists, will also be used as the cover for the calendar.

"I am very impressed with the creativity and vision of these young artists," CCB head Lin Hsiu Yi said. "They have expressed interesting concepts and ideas on the future of banking. For example, one of the paintings by a nine-year old illustrates the transformation of physical money to virtual money in the 'clouds'."

BAF chairman and BT editor Alvin Tay said: "Citi Singapore is one of the earliest supporters of The Business Times Budding Artists Fund. The Citi-BT BAF partnership has created many opportunities for talented, but financially-disadvantaged children, to showcase their talent and craft. This effort has been instrumental as we journeyed over the past ten years to support the ambitions of young budding artists and nurture confident, resilient children."

Citi Singapore said its total contribution to the fund to date is S$1.6 million.

The fund provides fully sponsored two-year arts training programmes for children and youth from low-income families so that they can pursue their artistic talents in music, dance, theatre and the visual arts. BAF said it currently supports more than 500 children and youth and two arts training centres.