Four artists awarded Cultural Medallion

THE four artistic trailblazers who received the 2015 Cultural Medallion certainly prove that the path to creating great art is more often than not filled with serious obstacles. Playwright Haresh Sharma, avant-garde musician Margaret Leng Tan, painter Chua Mia Tee and literary advocate Lin Gao were bestowed the country's highest recognition for artistic excellence by President Tony Tan Keng Yam at the Istana on Friday night.

Sharma, 50, has penned more than 100 plays in almost 30 years, tackling numerous sensitive topics such as race, religion and politics. In 1993, the Health Ministry revoked funding for his play about mental illness Off-Centre because it "did not put across the message that the ministry had in mind". In 1994, he and director Alvin Tan of The Necessary Stage came under scrutiny when The Straits Times reported they attended theatre workshops conducted by theatre practitioner Augusto Boal, a Brazilian Marxist.

Today, Off-Centre is studied in secondary schools for its sensitive portrayal of mental patients, while Tan and Sharma are undisputed leaders of the theatre scene - Tan received the Cultural Medallion last year.