A sign that reads “Welcome to the tropical jungle” welcomes visitors to the striking green walls of Terminal 3 at Singapore Changi Airport. The irony, of course, is that despite its geographical setting, the Lion City is anything but a jungle. All actions are planned and performed in an orderly manner.
This includes a decades-long effort by the government to position the city-state as an art hub for a diverse and organic Southeast Asian art scene. After some turmoil, the flagship international fair “Art SG” was launched last year and was well received by a post-pandemic art-hungry public, attracting 164 galleries from 35 countries.
However, sales at the inaugural fair were reportedly below average, partly due to the absence of mainland Chinese collectors due to coronavirus restrictions. In this regard, the second edition of ArtSG, which opened yesterday (January 18th) for VIPs and will run until January 21st, will be crucial in determining whether the fair survives. .
The fair will be held at Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Center
Provided by Marina Bay Sands/ArtSG
Gallery attendance is down 29% this year, but you can’t feel that as you walk through the stands. There is more space for artwork, and the gallery is still spread across his two dedicated floors at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center. “On the top floor there are cheap and cheerful shops. In the basement there are long-established and expensive shops,” summed up one of the visitors.
“This year it’s small, but I feel comfortable,” says Singaporean collector Fai Seng Chong. I also see a lot of people coming from overseas.
It is true that geopolitics also affects sales. Walking down the aisle in gorgeous costumes are several Hong Kong collectors who recently moved to Singapore, a Russian expat who is actively investing in art, and a family office set up to open up their collection. The number of wealthy Indians living in Singapore is increasing. Home during art week.
Aan Andowati, a collector and dealer based in Bandung, Indonesia, attended Art SG last year with his gallery, but decided not to attend this year because “there are too many fairs nearby in Asia.” She chose Jakarta for her “more supportive” Art instead of SG 2024 because most of her collector base is Indonesian. “But she doesn’t rule out going to Singapore next year,” she says. “I have a good feeling about this second edition.|
There are also some newcomers. Paris-based A2Z Gallery is excited to be participating in ArtSG for the first time, bringing artists with socio-political themes such as Vietnam’s Tran Trong Vu and Burma’s Aung Ko. We closed our second space in Hong Kong during the pandemic,” says gallery director Anthony Huong.
Paintings still dominate the booths due to the region’s broadly conservative tastes among the region’s collector base and broader market trends, but galleries like Taiwan’s Chi-Wen, which includes artist Hsu Hui-yu’s films, We are exhibiting video works. It was shown in Art SG’s screening program.
“Part of the program is aimed at younger regional collectors who have been educated abroad and are less constrained by national concepts compared to older collectors in Southeast Asia,” said Art SG Director Shuyin Yang. I will explain. “They are more experimental and making choices based on taste.”
In terms of sales, the first day of the fair proved to be very successful. Like Lehman Maupin, the Star Gallery on the first floor quickly became a big seller, with a painting by David Salle and two works by Lie Bull selling in the $200,000 to $300,000 range.
Wendy Hsu, White Cube’s general manager for Asia, reports that two works by Antony Gormley sold for £500,000 each and a painting by Anselm Kiefer sold for €1.1 million.
“Art SG is still a young fair, but we see it growing,” says Dawn Zhu, Asia Director at Thaddaeus Ropac. “There’s also clearly more energy and pace than last year, with clear purchase intent and sales happening more quickly.” The first day’s sale also includes works by Alex Katz (priced at $110,000); dollars) and Jules de Balancourt’s painting “Jules de Balancourt”. darwin’s nightmaresold for $125,000.
Some smaller galleries reported sold out stands at previews. Karl Kostyaru, which has stores in London and Stocklom, has displayed all the paintings from emerging Indonesian artist Atreyu Moniaga’s spooky series, which cost $18,000 each.
Leading regional companies based in Singapore also sold at the VIP preview. Gajah Gallery sold works by the late Balinese feminist artist Munisias, Indonesia’s Yunizar and Filipino artist Chavez for five- to six-figure prices.
The stand of Sundaram Tagore, which has stores in Singapore as well as New York and London, was elegant and impressive. A large pastel-colored dripping painting by Hiroshi Senju was on display there, which sold for $410,000, and two other works by the artist also sold for $320,000 and $240,000.
Richard Koh Fine Art stand at Art SG
Provided by Art SG
Richard Koh Fine Art’s booth was dominated by works by Malaysian artist Justin Lim, Singapore’s Reuben Pang, and renowned Thai painter Nathee Uttarit. These were sold to collectors in Asia for between $20,000 and $180,000.
“As a bridge between Southeast Asia and the global art world, the fair aims to respect Singapore’s uniquely accessible context to the art world,” says fair director Mr Yang. She dismisses common comparisons with Hong Kong. She said: “I think Singapore is finally doing its own thing.” “
Hong Kong collector Patrick Sun finds this edition of Art SG to be “inspirational” with great works not only at the fair but also at shows around the city related to the fair’s program. “We will always hold trade fairs in Hong Kong. In Taiwan and Singapore, they will all be complementary,” he concluded. “I don’t think there’s even a need to compare. The market is big enough.”