Thai artists won the first and second prizes in the sixth annual sand sculpture competition and exhibition at Hokkaido’s Ishikari Beach in Japan last week.
It was the first time Thai artists were invited to enter the competition. Though 22 teams showed up to make art on the beach, Thailand sent only two teams, one from Hua Hin and the other made up of the Faculty of Management Science from Silpakorn University.
The Hua Hin team took first place with its touching and symbolic “Friend” sculpture. The piece features a Thai child wearing a top-knot and hugging a buffalo. It is meant to show the delicate balance of the rice-growing industry of Thailand.
Second place went to the Silpakorn team for their “I am a Tiger” entry. The sculpture is of a cat looking into a mirror and viewing the reflection of a tiger. The artist-educators who made it hoped to teach a lesson about the importance of self-confidence.
The second-place winning sculpture “I am a Tiger” with the winners from Silpakorn. Photo: Thai PBS.
A local Hokkaido team took third place in the competition, which will remain on the beach until July 10, according to Thai PBS.