Singapore Art Book Fair 2026 cancels open call for $150 ‘Walking Exhibitors’ after criticism

SINGAPORE – The Singapore Art Book Fair 2026 on April 9 withdrew an open call for its new Walking Exhibitors option following public backlash.

The initiative, announced on the fair’s social media on April 6, would have seen new art-book makers display their publications for sale on a portable 51cm-long, 32cm-wide and 10cm-tall display case, according to the now-closed application form.

In a statement posted on Instagram on April 9, the event’s organiser said it chose a briefcase because they “appreciate its technology”, but also “understand now that it was inappropriate”.

Its statement explained the idea was intended to allow creators “the flexibility to choose where and when to sell their books”.

It added: “Taking all your feedback, we will close the open call while we take some time to workshop through the mechanics of the fair.”

In its post announcing the option on April 6, the fair said that the option was a way to “soften spatial hierarchies and extend book-based interactions beyond the tabletop”. This would “make the fair less of a marketplace and more a field of encounter”, it added.

An illustration accompanying the application form shows a figure holding what looks like an open briefcase hung around the neck. The initiative was open to local and international exhibitors, and was priced at $150.

The move drew mostly negative feedback across social media platforms and online forums.

The Aug 28 to 30 event will be one-third the size of the 2025 edition, moving to a smaller venue, event space T:> Works in Mohamed Sultan Road. The 2025 edition was held at the New Art Museum Singapore in Keppel Road and hosted more than 120 exhibitors and 5,000 visitors.

The fair’s organiser said in its statement on April 9 that the 2025 edition was “an overwhelming experience for visitors and exhibitors” and that a smaller fair this time round would allow them “room to experiment with formats at a more manageable scale than previous editions”.

Artists who spoke to The Straits Times welcomed the move to cancel Walking Exhibitors.

Image director and fashion stylist Nicholas See, who has been visiting the fair since 2018, suggested smaller, seated booths as an alternative.

The 27-year-old, who exhibited at the fair in 2023 and 2024, said: “It’s good that they hear the feedback beyond the noise of unnecessarily mean comments.

“Cancelling an open call and sticking to just curated exhibitors veers away from the purpose of an art book fair. However, I look forward to their next steps.”

A freelance comic artist, who wanted to be known only as Sar, noted that the fair was a good platform for artists to get inspiration and make industry connections, having attended it twice herself. The Walking Exhibitors initiative would have been a good way to help new artists ease into doing business, she said.

“I found the concept of encouraging less formal market spaces to be a really good idea that would help in encouraging people to have a less transactional relationship with art,” said the 25-year-old.

“But there were simply too many restrictions in the open call that it didn’t feel like the artists’ or patrons’ best interests were considered.

“This is very much an issue with many art markets when they expand – I think we forget that this is still business at the end of the day.”

Netizens took issue with the concept and its price, saying that the fair’s intention of promoting emerging artists could have been carried out more thoughtfully.

Instagram user rashibelum commented: “If the issue is finances and funding, then holding a fund-raiser for artists to have enough tables will be a more palatable and dignified solution than charging $150 for an artist to walk around.”

Some also noted the portable display format resembled street-vending practices common in parts of the region, such as the pedagang asongan (street peddlers) in Indonesia and lottery ticket sellers in Thailand.

User rifflogy said on Instagram: “Sure, this form may not necessarily be ideated with negative intent, but the visual framing may carry unintended associations depending on cultural context.”

However, some defended the organisers, saying that the prices at the fair are comparable with those of other fairs in Singapore and overseas.

Instagram user laiyutong_things added that those who know the organisers “know how much they try to keep both fees and tickets affordable while juggling the huge costs of running an event of this scale”.

The user said: “Respect their ideas. Wait until you see the fair happen before you pass your judgments. If you decide not to come, then that’s OK too.”