After the very successful first Frieze Seoul edition in September, Southeast Asia is now the centre of the art world's attention as Singapore, another Asian Tiger, hosts its own first-ever international art show, ART SG.
Swati Bhat
Art SG Official
Since the announcement of its launch in 2018—and the numerous delays that followed—ART SG has seen its fair share of uncertainty and turmoil. But this week, the show at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre will officially begin operations. The event, which runs from Wednesday through Sunday, will feature over 160 galleries from throughout Asia and beyond.
But why is ART SG the topic of conversation? If at all, how does it differ from the plethora of international fairs debuting in the area? Here are the answers to all of your burning questions regarding Asia's most recent mega-fair.
What is ART SG?
The organisation behind Taipei Dangdai, India Art Fair, Sydney Contemporary, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai, and the upcoming Tokyo Gendai, scheduled to open in July, is called Art Assembly. Sandy Angus, Tim Etchells, and Magnus Renfrew, seasoned organisers of art fairs who specialise in the Asia Pacific region, are in charge of Art Assembly.
While positioning itself as an international platform with top galleries like White Cube, Gagosian, and David Zwirner, their average fair typically offers art and programming that speaks to the distinct regional and local market. Due to this strategy, their portfolio of art fairs have managed to survive and remain popular despite the "fairtigue" of the late 2010s.
Magnus Renfrew, a cofounder of ART SG, and Shuyin Yang, the fair’s director.
PHOTO: JOYCE YUNG
What's up with all these delays, then?
The fair was introduced as a collaboration between Sandy Angus of Angus Montgomery Arts, Tim Etchells, the director of the event, and Art Basel's parent company, MCH Group, in July 2018. On November 1, 2019, it was scheduled to be unveiled at the Sands Expo by more than 80 galleries.
However, MCH withdrew from a number of regional fairs it had shares in, including ART SG towards the end of 2018, following the resignation of its longtime CEO, René Kamm, and because of the business's financial difficulties. The fair was then delayed to begin later in November 2019.
ART SG announced its deferral to October 2020 a few months after Art Stage Singapore, the city's previous significant art fair with international ambitions, was abruptly cancelled in January 2019. The organisers apparently extended the application deadline in response to galleries' requests for more time to prepare, but it was obvious that the financial difficulties and closure of Art Stage Singapore had rocked the nation's fledgling art sector.
Then the epidemic struck, which naturally caused the fair to be postponed until November 2021. It was once again put off until January 2022 in February 2021. Officially, it was planned to coincide with the annual Singapore Art Week, but limits on social gatherings and travel due to Covid were probably also a factor.
Finally, the fair declared it was being postponed to January 2023 in November 2021 when there was still no evidence of an exhibitor list and global supply chain concerns were at their peak.
Why in Singapore?
Funny enough, the fair would not be taking place at a moment of extraordinary interest in Singapore's emerging art market if it weren't for ART SG's numerous postponements. This is because the city-state has recently emerged as the preferred Asian base for affluent locals, families, and enterprises as well as multinational corporations. Thanks to Singapore's fair Covid limitations and its longtime status as a major international financial centre, many of them have left Hong Kong, which had long held the top spot as Asia's art market capital.
We have noticed that wealthy collectors from around Asia are increasingly settling in the city and utilising it as their base because Singapore has evolved as one of the most progressive economies as the world opens up post-Covid, says Jonathan.
The number of galleries participating doubled from the first list of 80 exhibitors in 2018 when ART SG revealed its eagerly anticipated exhibitor list in June. To coincide with the fair's opening, the WOAW Gallery in Hong Kong and the Whitestone Gallery in Tokyo also opened locations in Singapore, and Lehmann Maupin hired a Singaporean director to manage their operations in Southeast Asia.
What is the price of a ticket?
Weekday passes cost S$35 ($26) and weekend passes cost S$40 ($30), which are both less expensive than general admission to Frieze Seoul, which was 70,000 won ($55) per person. However, the latter also gave visitors entrance to sister event KIAF Seoul.
