Engaging with art is often central to childhood play, and it was no different for Singapore-based 12-year old Aaradhya Sunder, whose pursuit of art led her to win the International Arts Olympiad held over July 25-27 in Washington DC, USA.
Touted as the world’s largest school art program, the olympiad is organised by the International Child Art Foundation (ICAF) and recently concluded its seventh edition, in which Aaradhya emerged winner.
The painting that earned her win was named ‘The Artist-Athlete’, a bold interpretation of two vocations blending into one. “I did not want to show art and sport as separate,” said Aaradhya, who feels deep resonance with the subject as a visual artist who also dabbles in sport.
The spirit of her painting, which rejects dichotomising children and allows them to explore instead of pigeonholing themselves, found a fan in Dr Ashfaq Ishaq, the founder and chairman of ICAF.
“What distinguishes Aaradhya is not merely her ability to make art, but her emerging capacity to use art as a means of thought,” Dr Ishaq said.
Aaradhya’s work was also featured at Salon des Artistes Francais during Art Capital Paris – an art exhibition that dates back to the 17th century and was credited with playing a significant role in the dissemination of arts in France – in 2025 and will be once again in 2027.
Born in Delhi, her introduction to art was through murals splashed across city walls that dwarfed her tiny frame. At 7, Aaradhya harnessed her inclination to the arts by starting her formal training in Singapore, at Little Artists Studio as well as Junior Arts learning under Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.
In that regard, “Singapore is very much the place where her artistic foundation was built.” Aaradhya’s father, Anuraag Sunder, said on Wednesday (Aug 12).
Growing up here and being “surrounded by different cultures, languages, museums, architecture and ways of looking at the world, influenced the way she thinks and expresses herself,” he added.
Speaking on encouraging creativity, he told tabla!, “I don’t think creativity is something I gave her, my role has really been to recognise it, give it space and make sure she has opportunities to explore it seriously.”
That philosophy has meant exposing her to teachers, museums, cultures and artistic expression that allow for greater focus on the purpose of the art as opposed to its aesthetic value.
Given that play was the avenue through which her creativity first found expression, Mr Anuraag is conscious of the importance of allowing his daughter to continue engaging in different forms of play.
“Aaradhya is only 12. I want her to experiment, make mistakes, play sports, enjoy school, discover new interests and paint simply because she feels like painting. If these opportunities help her become more thoughtful and original as an artist without taking away the joy of being a child, that would be the best possible outcome,” he said.
