Cast your vote and place your bids
By A&M

An exhibition of the shortlisted artworks for the 21st Sovereign Asian Art Prize will be on show at Phillips’ Asia headquarters in Hong Kong from today until 29 March, for the duration of Hong Kong Art Week. The works were nominated by a board of independent arts professionals.

At the exhibition, this year’s judging panel will make their final selection. They are David Elliott, writer, curator and museum director; Apinan Poshyananda, Artistic Director, Bangkok Art Biennale, Haeju Kim, Senior Curator, Singapore Art Museum; William Lim, artist, collector and architect, and Tim Marlow, Chief Executive and Director, Design Museum. Sameen Agha, artist and last year’s prize winner is also one of the judges.

One artist will be awarded the Grand Prize of USD30,000, and another will receive the Vogue Hong Kong Women’s Art Prize of USD5,000. The public can also cast their vote for their favourite artwork, and the artists stand to win a USD1,000 Public Vote Prize, and all winners will be announced on 31 March.

Some of the exhibited works are available for private sale, and others will be auctioned off at Phillips’ New Now: Modern & Contemporary Art and Design sale on 29 March. The proceeds will go towards Sovereign Art Foundation’s Make It Better programme, which offers expressive art therapy to children with special education needs.

About a third of the 35 shortlisted artworks are from Southeast Asian artists. Among them, we find out from Justin Lee, Maharani Mancanagara, Mervy C. Pueblo, Nawin Nuthong, Ngo Dinh Bao Chau, Praween Piangchoompu, Tan Zi Hao, Viriya Chotpanyavisut and Zelin Seah more about their artworks, and what it means to be shortlisted for The 2025 Sovereign Asian Art Prize.

Justin Lee (Singapore)
Nominated by Sofia Coombe

Using everyday objects like floor tiles, yellow vinyl stickers, and coins is a way to elevate these mundane materials and turn them into symbols of value, resilience, loss, and reflection. It’s a poignant tribute to both the struggles of individuals and the strength of communities during such a challenging time.

It is inspiring to see my work being recognized on such a prestigious platform. I am also thankful to my nominator, Sofia Coombe, for her kind support. This opportunity allows me to share my art with a global audience is truly special, especially when my artwork carries such a deep message of reflection and community.

Maharani Mancanagara (Indonesia)
Nominated by Shormi Ahmed

‘Lauik Sati Rantau Batuah’ is rooted in the Minangkabau tradition of merantau—the journey of leaving home in search of knowledge or fortune. Stories like Malin Kundang are told not just as entertainment but as lessons in duty, respect, and consequence. Across different regions, similar tales exist, such as Si Tanggang (Malaysia) and Nahkoda Manis (Brunei Darussalam), each shaped by the land and culture they belong to. This work reflects on how these narratives endure, shifting over time but never losing their essence. It is a quiet exploration of how we carry history with us, in both memory and place.

Being shortlisted for the Sovereign Asian Art Prize with ‘Lauik Sati Rantau Batuah’ is an honour, but more importantly, it is a chance to bring attention to the way folklore shapes identity and cultural memory. This work is deeply personal, shaped by the stories I grew up with and the cultural landscapes that have influenced me. Folklore has always been a way to understand the world, and I see this recognition as an opportunity to share those narratives with a wider audience. More than anything, I’m grateful that this piece can contribute to a larger conversation about memory, migration, and the values we pass down through generations.

Mervy C. Pueblo (Philippines)
Nominated by Rica Estrada

Representing the themes of migration, resilience, and cultural identity, ‘Pasalubong 06: Determination’ takes the form of a pre-Hispanic Moro ethnic shield. Traditionally a symbol of protection and strength, this piece reimagines the shield using a shipping box colloquially called a "Manila box" –a common box used by overseas Filipino workers to ship a box full of souvenirs–as its ground/foundation, then fashioned with packaging from imported and local goods. It reflects the pasalubong, or souvenir culture, where gifts serve as a bridge between Filipino migrants and the families they leave behind.

It is an honour to have my work selected for the preliminary round of this competition, especially as the only Filipino artist to make it this far. I am truly humbled, but I also feel a sense of responsibility—this recognition is not just personal. My work now represents Filipino artists and, more importantly, the many migrant Filipino workers in Hong Kong, whom the work also speaks about.

Nawin Nuthong (Thailand)
Nominated by Sakda Chantanavanich

‘The Crows Fountains’ is a compound idea of the fountain and the crow. The fountain is made by mankind to animate the water like the moon does, and crows have become urban creatures that bear witness to urban life. Together, they represent both innovation and collective history.

I have heard about the Sovereign Asian art prize before, and seen how it can be an opportunity for senior artists in their art careers. And this year, I have the chance to be one of the shortlisted artists. It is interesting to see nominators with varied backgrounds coming together to create discourse.

Ngo Dinh Bao Chau (Vietnam)
Nominated by Tanya Michele Amador

My artwork features a collection of human cell patterns that come together to create an abstract image, deeply resonant with the essence of nature. Designed as a freestanding sculpture, it features paintings on both sides, encouraging viewers to walk around it in a circular manner, evoking the continuous motion and rhythm of time, much like a clock.

Being shortlisted for the prize this year is incredibly meaningful and uplifting, especially as I prepare for my upcoming solo show in Ho Chi Minh City this summer. What truly fills me with gratitude, however, is the unwavering support I have received from my art community and loved ones.

Praween Piangchoompu (Thailand)
Nominated by Tom Van Blarcom

6. Praween Piangchoompu, ‘Beyond Remembrance’, 2025, technique collage cotton paper, acrylic on canvas, 122 x 4.4 x 83cm. — Praween Piangchoompu, ‘Beyond Remembrance’, 2025, technique collage cotton paper, acrylic on canvas, 122 x 4.4 x 83cm.

I believe that everything that happens is determined by the aesthetics of recording, conveyed through painting on natural linen, combined with layered collages of cotton fiber paper. It serves as a scripture that preserves thoughts, time, and experiences, allowing for the observation of present phenomena.

In addition to the great honor of being one of selected artist, the fact that my work has made it to this round is a confirmation that I can convey feelings in my work and communicate well with the audience. It also motivates me to continue to strive and develop.

Tan Zi Hao (Malaysia)
Nominated by Sakda Chantanavanich

The artwork is a macro-photograph of a larval case left by a tiny insect called the "household casebearer." A close inspection of it reveals a topography of dust, involving soil particles, microplastics, organic and synthetic fibrous materials, and others. These are matters perceived as waste from an anthropocentric perspective, but are nonetheless woven into the larval case, enabling an emergent form of life. Magnifying the case immediately distorts the scale of our perception, where dust can be appreciated as beautiful, and microplastics as rubies.

I feel very honoured to be in the shortlist. ‘The Bags of Stories, No. 80’ is a work that calls attention to an ostensibly insignificant form of life in our domestic environment. To be shortlisted confers some merits on such overlooked critters, who linger around us but continue to elude our attention and capture. This is a moment I find timely, amusing, and poignant at once.

Viriya Chotpanyavisut (Thailand)
Nominated by Sakda Chantanavanich

‘Sudden Brightening’ is a series of ephemeral environments that show everyday objects as poetic interstices. Photographs are taken in city parks, remote areas, and everyday places and situations, and attention is paid to nature in the urban environment, to its rhythms, and to the emotional bond we forge with flowers and plants, living beings, and objects in the city. These discoveries are then compiled into a vast archive of images ranging from simple everyday views to compositions tending more towards abstraction.

I am truly honored and deeply grateful to the one who has nominated me, as well as to everyone who has provided this opportunity for artists to present their work to the public, both in physical spaces and online platforms. I believe it is a source of pride for every artist.

Zelin Seah (Malaysia)
Nominated by Shormi Ahmed

Zelin Seah, ‘It's just some scratches on my back’, 2024, topographic maps washed, transferred, carved and burnt with soldering iron onto aluminum, 116 x 60 x 2cm.

I purchased these national park maps from the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia. Surprisingly, they have remained unchanged since 1993. But has the land truly stayed the same? I used a soldering iron to scrape and burn it, creating marks of destruction. This act responds to the actual devastation I observed through Google Satellite imagery.

Having my work shortlisted for the prize means that it has reached a high standard, which serves as both validation of my creative judgment and encouragement for my exploration of land use concerns.

The 35 artworks shortlisted for The 2025 Sovereign Asian Art Prize are on view at Phillips in the West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong, from 21 to 29 March. Do cast your vote here for your favourite artwork, for a chance for the artist to win the Public Vote Prize of USD1,000. This can be done in person or online.

Art & Market is proud to be the media sponsor of The 2025 Sovereign Asian Art Prize.

The responses have been edited.