LONDON, Feb. 6 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- ING Group today launches 'ING Fresh Eyes' 2008, a global art competition to give budding artists access to the exclusive world of Formula 1, entered via a dedicated website, www.ingfresheyes.com .
Winners from around the world will be selected by a judging panel, including the internationally renowned artist, Sir Peter Blake, art collector & ING Renault F1 Team Managing Director, Flavio Briatore, and The (London) Times art critic, Rachel Campbell Johnston.
Each winner will get an exclusive, behind the scenes trip to a Grand Prix and be mentored by one of ING's famous artists 'in residence', in order to experience and capture the spirit of F1.
The winner and artist in residence will supply ING with works inspired by their time at the GP. ING will then choose one work by each artist to be auctioned for charity at a special exhibition to be held in London later this year.
ING Fresh Eyes 2008 is split into five national competitions taking place in Australia, Belgium, Hungary, Spain and the UK, and a global competition to attend the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix. Residents of each of the five named markets, and 'rest of world' entrants will be asked to submit up to three examples of their art work to http://www.ingfresheyes.com, which will then be put to the judging panel for consideration.
ING Fresh Eyes 2008 follows the successful launch of the concept in 2007, which embedded graduate artists at nine GPs. As one of F1's leading sponsors, ING aims to forge closer links between the arts and sports worlds, and provide an unrivalled high-profile platform for discovering emerging art talent from across the world.
Sir Peter Blake, on his appointment to the panel, said: "It is fantastic to be involved in such a forward-thinking scheme - although on paper art and F1 seem unusual bed fellows, it's a great proposition for raw talent to capture the pace of the sport whilst revealing what goes on behind the scenes. By having a mentor on site, artists will not only get the opportunity to access rare material, but also learn from some of the most renowned artistic talent around."
Flavio Briatore said: "I'm very happy that ING, working with the ING Renault F1 Team, is able to give a unique behind-the-scenes insight at a GP, whilst being mentored by a highly-respected contemporary artist. Art and F1 are both passions of mine, and to bring them together in this way is very exciting for me personally."
ING Profile
ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, insurance and asset management to over 75 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries. With a diverse workforce of about 120,000 people, ING comprises a broad spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly serve their clients under the ING brand.
