PUBLISHED January 15th, 2016 04:00 am | UPDATED June 19th, 2020 03:58 pm
With major events such as Art Stage 2016 rolling into town during this year’s Singapore Art Week, it’s safe to say that this is THE time to be in Singapore for anything arty. What’s more, this year’s offerings are bolstered by the debut of the Singapore Contemporary Art Show (SCAS) – a new kid on Southeast Asian block after seven years of holding its flagship show in Hong Kong.
From 21-24 January 2016, the SCAS will bring its international range of galleries to the Lion City, with participating artists from countries such as China, South Korea, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Russia.
To ensure you’re getting a bang for your buck – many of the art pieces are of investment-grade – we’ve sussed out the hottest exhibits that you need to check out at this art fair:
Emma Hack Gallery, Australia
Mostly known for her work in Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” music video, popular Australian artist Emma Hack will be showcasing her portrait, ‘Our Lady Phoenix’, commissioned by the Singapore-born Adelaide City Lady Mayoress Genevieve Theseira-Haese at the SCAS. All proceeds from this sale will be donated to the Eurasian Association of Singapore. VIPs can also catch her conducting an eight hour, live body-painting exhibition at the preview on Thursday.
Jeff Murray, United Kingdom
For a truly Singaporean piece of art, visitors can head over to the gallery of British ink-pen artist Jeff Murray. His drawing composition, cutely coined the “Singapore Sling”, features a fusion of Singapore’s beautiful greenery and state-of-the-art urban architecture. This sketch maestro will be parading his talents in two live drawing demonstrations, in addition to his two artist Q & A sessions.
Awiki, Indonesia
Hailing from Surabaya, Awiki began his art career by battling Indonesia’s sweltering heat when selling his paintings. Currently, Awiki is one of South East Asia’s top artists, with his love for horses and family the backbone of his captivating work. Catch his live demonstration of his unique hand painting style and get to know him better during his artist Q & A session.
Simon Wee, Tembusu Art Gallery, Singapore
Born just after the end of World War II in 1946, Simon Wee is a highly acclaimed veteran of Singapore’s art scene, and his creative genius will be on display in an exhibition held in conjunction with the Tembusu Art Gallery. Far from being an old-timer, Simon will illustrate his aesthetic prowess with two live exhibitions that’ll see him expertly paint on canvas and linen.
San Zi, Art Weme Contemporary Gallery, China
Heavily influenced by Taoism, San Zi (or Wang Xiaolong) is a contemporary Chinese artist who is known for his eclectic range of techniques, which include Western paintings, traditional Chinese ink paintings, metalworks and woodworks. Profound and deep, San Zi’s cerebral mind makes us think deeply about abstract concepts of humanity, the cosmos and wu wei (action through inaction), along with the Taoist view of sexuality.
The Singapore Contemporary Art Show is open to public from Friday, 22 January 2016 to Sunday 24 January 2016 at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre.
This article is brought to you in partnership with Singapore Contemporary Art Show.