Picture of the SG Art fair, January 2023
Singapore has long been Asia’s second-largest art market hub, trailing only Hong Kong, but a new event called Art SG will debut next week to bolster its growing impact. Magnus Renfrew, who co-founded Art SG, started ArtHK four years prior, and Art Basel recently revealed that it has acquired it. The potential of Singapore’s new competitor fair, Art Stage Singapore, was constrained by the relative ease of doing business in Hong Kong and the strength of the Art Basel brand. Singapore has nonetheless maintained its position as a sanctuary for private wealth and as the primary market for the several developing economies in south-east Asia. Since then, the geopolitical environment has improved Singapore’s prospects.
Art SG, Southeast Asia’s largest art fair to date, the greatest art fair debut in the Asia-Pacific region in ten years, and one of the most significant art fair debuts ever anywhere on the planet, finally opens after numerous pandemic-related delays. With Blue-Chip Art Galleries from Around the World and Powerful Local and Regional Players attracted to Art SG, Singapore is undoubtedly having its Moment. Art collectors are visible throughout the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, which has a delightfully vibrant vibe.
The idea of Art SG came to life with discussion between Tim Etchells and Sandy Angus, who had spent over a decade looking at the possibility of starting a fair in Singapore. Together, they developed the fair’s plan of action and course of action. They want to establish a Southeast Asian hub fair that would cater to the region’s rapidly expanding demand for contemporary art. With its outstanding infrastructure, hotels, and restaurants, Singapore is the obvious centre for the area. There is perhaps no other place in the world where everyone feels so at home, where English and Mandarin are widely spoken, where it is the financial and wealth management centre for the region, and where it is recognised as “neutral territory.”
The art fair has over 900 artists, featuring 164 galleries from 35 countries. The total number of visitors was 42,706, from around the globe. Here are some artworks during the art fair:
Leave a Reply