SINGAPORE – Art SG fair director Shuyin Yang is not too worried about the 30 per cent drop in exhibitor count at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre event in January.
Down from 164 booths for its inaugural edition in 2023, the 114 galleries in 2024 are “a very suitable scale for Singapore and South-east Asia”.
At more than 100 galleries, she says over Zoom, Art SG has achieved critical mass and is in line with most major international art fairs.
This is no mean feat as freight costs and competitive fairs in places such as Hong Kong and Seoul force galleries to make “difficult, strategic decisions”, says Ms Yang.
“What we have heard from some galleries which are not coming back (in 2024) is that they see huge potential in South-east Asia and are committed to returning in 2025,” she adds. “We see some of them making the effort to come on personal trips to meet the collectors.”
Anchoring Singapore Art Week and presented by UBS bank, Art SG runs at Marina Bay Sands from Jan 19 to 21. It features returning blue-chip galleries such as Gagosian and Thaddaeus Ropac, and 39 first-time exhibitors.
Each has specially curated works by artists they represent that will appeal to Singaporean and South-east Asian collectors.
The casual visitor will recognise names such as Ai Weiwei, Tracey Emin and Olafur Eliasson, but Singaporeans Robert Zhao and Han Sai Por, as well as regional artists including Malaysia’s Red Hong Yi and Myanmar’s Htein Lin will also be showing.
This balance is part of the appeal of a fair that Ms Yang believes can serve as a gateway to the region without being provincial – a conviction strengthened by the 2023 edition, which ushered 43,000 visitors through its doors and saw some galleries post booming sales.
Ms Yang says: “We learnt that the premise of an art fair in Singapore is correct. You get to see the entirety of what is happening around the globe and contextualise the practice of this region alongside it.”
This year’s regional representation is stronger than in 2023, with new participating South-east Asian galleries such as Jakarta’s Nadi Gallery, presenting a group show of established Indonesian names; Thailand’s Bangkok Citycity, giving visitors a taste of the denim, fire and mythical imagery of artist Korakrit Arunanondchai; and Malaysia’s Wei-Ling Gallery.
Two young Malaysian galleries, Rissim Contemporary and The Back Room, are also doing an international art fair for the first time, taking the total number of South-east Asia galleries to 30. International galleries continue to show South-east Asian content, from Indonesian Christine Ay Tjoe to Vietnamese Dinh Q Le.
“It’s the full spectrum, from artists who are just emerging to the ones who have gone international,” says Ms Yang, adding that another of Art SG’s strengths is the Republic’s hub city status, which draws a diverse global audience.
The fair is accompanied by a free film programme curated by Ms Sam I-shan, screening at the ArtScience museum and partly serving as an alternative avenue to attract the more serendipitous visitor.
These films, including those by video art founder Nam June Paik and Singaporean film-maker Yeo Siew Hua, revolve around the theme of the body, which Ms Sam hopes will be more accessible.
She says: “This specialised space will give people more opportunities for appreciation and exposure. It’s a great chance for collectors themselves to expand the notion of what it means to collect different types of mediums.”
Book It/Art SG
Where: Marina Bay Sands Singapore, 10 Bayfront Avenue
When: Jan 19 to 21; Friday, noon to 7pm, Saturday, 11am to 7pm, Sunday 11am to 5pm
Admission: $38 for Friday, $42 for Saturday and Sunday
Info: www.artsg.com
