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The
United Nations Millennium Art Exhibition in aid of UNICEF
- "Our World in the Year 2000" is the result of a competition
that drew 22,500 entrants from 51
countries.
(The competition has been recorded by the Guinness Book of Records
as the largest international painting competition in the world.)
The paintings, which express concerns about the environment, impressions
of the world and how war and technology affect people, are by young
and old, amateur and professional artists.
The
aims of the competition were threefold: to promote the art and craft
of painting as a cross-cultural activity giving people a means to
express their ideas, thoughts and feelings; to reveal the extraordinary
diversity of artistic expression around the world; and to look at
the world through the eyes of its artists, both professional and
amateur.
Artists
worked in a variety of styles and media - including oil, acrylic,
watercolour and mixed media - to depict their impressions of their
countries. Popular subjects included concern for the environment,
for the wellbeing of children, and for peace and reconciliation
in countries in conflict.
A
glossy, museum quality, catalogue has been produced with forewards
by the Secretary-General, who is the Patron
of the UN Millennium Art Exhibition, HRH The Prince of Wales, the
World-wide Patron and the Executive Director
of UNICEF. Proceeds from the
sale of the catalogue and a painting by the winner of the competition
will benefit UNICEF.
On 30 May 2000 the United Nations Postal
Administration will issue 6 stamps (2 in New York, 2 in Geneva
and 2 in Vienna) using 6 of the winning paintings.
 The
Exhibit's Official site
UN
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1st
Prize
Ramón Piaguaje was born in 1962 in the Cuyabeno
National Park in the Amazon rainforest, Ecuador.
He is a Secoya Indian who lives close to the Aguarico River.
He comments: ‘I entered the competition because I wanted
to deliver a message to the rest of the world about the
importance of keeping this “lung of the world” free from
pollution and destruction. I paint what I see and where
I live. It is a beautiful, positive, and peaceful way of
showing my world. The forest is all we have. I hope that
when people see my picture, they do not just look at my
art, but realise that it is their obligation to help to
preserve the Amazon rainforest. My tribe, the Secoyas, have
lived in these forests for thousands of years and to see
a tree fall is like seeing a loved one die. We need the
world to help us to protect the rainforest’.
Mr. Piaguaje is a self-taught artist and has only been painting
for five years.
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2nd
Prize
Stanislaw Zoladz was born in 1952 and lives in Stockholm.
The artist comments: ‘I wanted to show a little piece of untouched
Swedish nature, which to me symbolises a positive and successful
development of society. It is a great mission Sweden has accomplished
that it can hand over a country with a high standard of living
and a fantastic untouched nature to coming generations’. |
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3rd
Prize
Rezvan Sadeghzadeh was born in 1963, lives in Tehran,
and studied at the Art University, Tehran.
The painting shows a group of nine women by a stream in a
landscape, their faces hidden by head scarves, each wearing
an elegant and beautifully patterned garment. The artist explains
that the picture is a comment on the condition of Iranian
women as well as an artistic experiment with a multi-figure
composition where conventional space and volume are not registered.
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