The Silpathorn Award, th, รางวัลศิลปาธร, is an honour for living Thai

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic co ...

ists presented annually by the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture,

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. The awards were established in 2004 to promote Thai contemporary artists who are considered to be in their mid-career and who have already made notable contributions to Thai fine arts and culture. Artists are honored in the fields of

visual arts The visual arts are Art#Forms, genres, media, and styles, art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as ...

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to inclu ...

music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...

, film, performing arts,

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

and

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

History

Education and promotion of fine arts in the Kingdom of Thailand was under the auspices of the Department of Fine Arts of the Ministry of Palace Affairs. In 1943, the department's schools became

Silpakorn University Silpakorn University (SU.) ( th, มหาวิทยาลัยศิลปากร; ) is a national university in Thailand. The university was founded in Bangkok in 1943 by Tuscan–born art professor Corrado Feroci, who took the Thai name ...

, founded by

Silpa Bhirasri Silpa Bhirasri ( th, ศิลป์ พีระศรี; ; ), born Corrado Feroci (15 September 1892 – 14 May 1962), was a Tuscan-born Thai sculptor. He is considered the father of modern art in Thailand and was instrumental in the foun ...

, an Italian sculptor who was named Corrado Feroci, but became a Thai citizen during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and is considered the father of fine arts in Thailand. Other offices promoting fine arts included the Office of the National Culture Commission and the Religious Affairs Department. In 1985, the Office of the National Culture Commission established the

Thailand National Artist The National Artist ( th, ศิลปินแห่งชาติ, , ) is a title given annually by the Office of the National Culture Commission of Thailand, recognizing notable Thai artists in the area of intangible cultural heritage such ...

designation, which is conferred on notable Thai artists as a

lifetime achievement award Lifetime achievement awards are awarded by various organizations, to recognize contributions over the whole of a career, rather than or in addition to single contributions. Such awards, and organizations presenting them, include: A * A.C. ...

. The Office of Contemporary Art and Culture (OCAC), under the Ministry of Culture, was formed in 2001 and was tasked with supporting, and promoting

and culture. While the National Artist programme has been generally aimed at veteran artists, especially those in the areas of Thai traditional arts, the OCAC recognised that younger artists needed support, promotion and recognition as well. In 2004, the Silpathorn Award was created, with honorees in the fields of visual art, literature, music, film and performing arts. In 2008, an award for the field of design was added.

Qualifications

Silpathorn Award honorees must meet the following qualifications: *Thai nationals. *Between the ages 30 to 50 years and still alive on the announcement day. *Their works have continually been exposed to the general public until present. *Their works have been released in Thailand and have made a great impact on Thai contemporary art and inspired young artists.

Silpathorn Kitikhun award

In 2008, a Distinguished ("Kitikhun") category was created for senior artists over 50 years of age who, because of controversy or unconventional works, would likely never be considered for the more conservative

honor. At first this category was known in English as the "Honorary" category, but the translation was changed to "Distinguished" at the time the awards were actually given. This is because it was felt that in English an "honorary" award might be considered to be less "real" whereas the intent of the committee was to create a senior grade of the award.

Definition of Silpathorn

Silpathorn in Thai language is a combination of two words: "Silpa", meaning "Art", and "Thorn" (or "Torn"), meaning "the Upholder", thus Silpathorn means "Upholder of Art".

Silpathorn brooch, cash prize

The Silpathorn Award is in the form of a

brooch A brooch (, also ) is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments, often to fasten them together. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold or some other material. Brooches are frequently decorated with enamel or with ...

, modeled on the emblem of the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, and made of white and yellow gold and decorated with diamonds and emeralds. There is also a cash prize, which was 100,000

baht The baht (; th, บาท, ; sign: ฿; code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. SWIFT ranked the Thai baht as the 10th-most ...

List of Silpathorn Award winners

: Design award initiated in 2008. : Architecture award initiated in 2010.

List of Distinguished ("Kitikhun") Silpathorn Award winners

The Distinguished Silpathorn Award was created in 2008.

2008

* S. P. Somtow, composer, conductor and author * Saiyart Semangern, designer * Suwan Kongkhuntien, designer

2009

* Bruce Gaston, composer and musician

2010

*No honorees named

References

{{reflist

External links

Thailand Office of Contemporary Art and Culture government website
Thai awards 01 Thai art Visual arts awards Dance awards Thai literary awards Awards established in 2004 2004 establishments in Thailand