The first edition of Singapore-based international art fair Art SG has been postponed from this November to next year.

The fair will now take place from Oct 30 to Nov 1, 2020 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

Its organisers cited requests from galleries and key participants to have more time to prepare as the reason for the postponement. As such, the organisers decided to extend the application period.

"We are actively recruiting applications and are receiving considerable interest," said the fair's co-founder Magnus Renfrew in a statement.

The news of the postponement comes after the shock cancellation of long-running event Art Stage Singapore earlier this year.

Mr Renfrew, who is also the co-owner and director of the Taipei Dangdai fair, will continue to liaise with galleries ahead of October next year together with Art SG fair director Shuyin Yang.

Mr Renfrew joined Art SG's two other co-founders, Tim Etchells and Angus Montgomery Arts, after original partner MCH Group, parent company of the Art Basel brand of art fairs, pulled out in November last year.

Art SG is supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the National Arts Council and the Singapore Economic Development Board.

STB chief executive Keith Tan said the board supports Art SG's decision to reschedule. "We remain confident that the fair will add to Singapore's vibrant art offerings and provide fresh opportunities for Singapore gallerists and artists to be showcased alongside their international counterparts and to a global audience."

Art SG plans to bring in about 80 established and experimental contemporary art galleries next year. Participants are to be chosen by a selection committee - comprising Sean Kelly Gallery, Victoria Miro Gallery, Sullivan & Strumpf, Richard Koh Fine Art and TKG+ - and the focus will be on South-east Asia, with room for international galleries keen to engage with the region.