Natural artist: Thai artist Aonrudee PornChame poses beside her artwork The Movement of Nature 2 that won the first prize at the ASEAN Graphic Arts Competition. — VNS Photos Truong Vi   Close second: The graphic print Tu Phu (Four Palaces) which won Vietnamese artist Pham Khac Quang second prize at the competition.

HA NOI — Thai artist Aonrudee PornChame's art work entitled The Movement of Nature 2 won the first prize of the ASEAN Graphic Arts Competition.

Organised for the first time in Viet Nam, the competition includes an exhibition of art works taking part in the event. PornChame's winning piece is now on display along with 130 other works from 77 artists at the Viet Nam Fine Arts Museum in Ha Noi, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, until August 16.

PornChame, who is a last- year student of the Chiang Mai Fine Arts University's Faculty of Graphics, won VND30,000,000 (US$1,500) for the first prize. She was delighted with her achievement. "I am very honoured and proud to get the prize. With my work, I want to describe my sentiments on the slow movement of nature," says the 20-year-old artist.

The competition attracted the participation of 162 candidates from nine countries including Brunei, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, and Viet Nam.

There were, in total, 17 prizes for 17 artists, with the host country, Viet Nam, taking second and third place, as well as four consolation prizes at the competition.

According to head of the jury Le Huy Tiep, former president of the Arts Council of the Viet Nam Fine Arts Association, despite Viet Nam winning as many prizes as Thailand in the competition, Thailand is hailed as being the most developed country for graphic art in the region.

"The competition is a good opportunity for Viet Nam to compare its development of graphic industry with other countries in the region. Most of Vietnamese artists competing in this event only focus on bringing emotions to the audiences through their artworks, and they don't pay much attention to the technique, which is not enough for their big success," said Tiep.

Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition of the ministry of culture has high hopes for the future of contemporary art in Viet Nam.

"I hope that the exhibition will help the Vietnamese public learn more about graphic art which remains unknown to many people," Thanh stated.

The competition was organised on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN (1967-2012) by the ministry of culture. The event is expected to create a forum for graphic artists in ASEAN member states to exchange and introduce their works to the ASEAN community. — VNS