Your Guide To ART SG: Southeast Asia’s Largest Ever Art Fair with 1000+ Artists from 30+ Countries
PUBLISHED November 22nd, 2022 06:00 am | UPDATED January 5th, 2023 05:18 pm
Can’t wait to attend ART SG? We’re giving away free one-day access tickets to the art fair. Register here using the unique passcode: wDGpy6CL . One entry admits one person.
There is no doubt art is meant to be admired, and the folks at The Art Assembly recognise that. Bringing Southeast Asia’s largest ever art fair to Singapore, ART SG is making its debut next year from 12 to 15 January 2023. The biggest art fair launch in Asia Pacific in a decade, the fair is organised by the The Art Assembly, an affiliation of major international art fairs with a particular focus on the Asia Pacific region. These include Taipei Dangdai, India Art Fair, Sydney Contemporary, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai and the forthcoming ART SG and Tokyo Gendai.
See Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre transform into a buzzing meeting point for art-lovers to be!
Along with artworks by leading artists of our time, the new international art fair will spotlight new media art, immersive installations, experimental film and thought provoking talks. Featuring over 150 of the world’s best galleries, ART SG is split into five sectors: GALLERIES, FOCUS, FUTURES, REFRAME and NEW/NOW.
In GALLERIES, folks can admire the works of leading international and Asian Artists, whilst FOCUS spotlights emerging names, especially in Southeast Asia. For those looking for something new and fresh in the art scene, the FUTURES segment will be supporting young galleries or artist-run spaces, and technological innovation will be taking the forefront in REFRAME. The NEW/NOW sector presents a unique opportunity to purchase pieces by emerging talent at affordable prices, with works capped at USD$10,000 and below.
Film lovers are in for a treat – ART SG’s Film sector, spearheaded by Gridthiya Gaweewong, Director of the Jim Thompson Art Center in Bangkok, will showcase new film-making practices and experimental film by artists and practitioners from the Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific region.
The Talks Sector, curated by Cosmin Costinas (upcoming Director of the Biennale of Sydney in 2024), will spotlight conversations between key art world figures, featuring respected names from Southeast Asia, South Asia and Australasia in a cross-cultural dialogue.
Ready for the highlights? Here’s all you need to know:
GALLERIES
The main sector, GALLERIES will feature outstanding presentations by leading international and regional galleries. Expect exhibitions by German art dealer David Zwirner, who is bringing to fore a line-up of major international artists from the gallery’s programme. Lehmann Maupin will be producing a presentation of Malaysian born artist Mandy El-Sayegh, alongside pieces by Korean sculptor and installation artist Lee Bul and rising talent Tammy Nguyen, a Vietnamese American painter.
From the regional perspective, Richard Koh Fine Art’s curated Southeast Asian group showcases art practices emerging from the Indochina region while Yavuz Gallery struts Southeast Asian and Australasian artists, including multi-disciplinary works by Pinaree Sanpitak, recently featured in the 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, “The Milk of Dreams”.
FOCUS
The contextualised sector titled FOCUS is, aptly, for galleries presenting in-depth solo and duo artist programmes, or curated thematic presentations. This part of the fair will zoom in on Southeast Asian and Asian artists, as well as emerging international names across different mediums.
From Seoul and Busan, Kukje Gallery shines a light on new works by respected indigenous Australian artist Daniel Boyd, deep diving into Australia’s colonial history. The solo booth of The Drawing Room from Manila will feature acclaimed female painter Pam Yan Santos, who explores themes such as everyday intimacy, domesticity, and the interchanging feminine roles of mother, wife, and artist. Yeo Workshop (Singapore) will also stage a presentation entitled “From the Land of Gold Below the Winds in South Seas”, juxtaposing the historically and culturally interrogative practices of multi-disciplinary artists.
FUTURES
Dedicated to supporting young galleries or artist-run spaces under the age of six years, this segment highlights presentations specially created for ART SG within the past 18 months, which have not previously been displayed. Capsule Shanghai puts on a three-person show with works ranging from wall sculptures to textile pieces by Leelee Chan, Mevlana Lipp and Miranda Fengyuan Zhang. LINSEED champions three emerging names: Sebastian Burger, Tom Howse, Li Hei Di, all of whom experiment with imageries of nature, instinctive desires, and contemporary cultures. Joining them is Cebu’s Tropical Futures Institute, with bold and multi-conceptual works exploring fictional concepts, technology, and cultural hybridity.
REFRAME
Honouring and celebrating Singapore as a nexus for technological innovation, masterpieces at REFRAME will be nothing short of dynamic, large-scale and engaging. Artists participating in this sector bring to the forefront their technology driven works, which includes digital painting, animation, immersive installations, augmented or virtual reality, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Refik Anadol, ‘Pacific Ocean A’, 2022, Video (color, sound), Dimensions variable, portrait orientation, 16 min, loop, Edition of 5, 2 AP. Video courtesy of bitforms gallery.
All the way from the United States, bitforms brings the work of Refik Anadol, one of the most acclaimed pioneers in the aesthetics of data and machine intelligence to Singapore. Witness Zurich’s Kate Vass Galerie displaying works by leading international new media and generative artists from different backgrounds and practices.
With over 150 exhibitors spread across two floors, to explore the event is definitely a whole day affair. As you explore, discuss and learn, don’t forget to refuel at the Ruinart champagne bar, along with ART SG’s bespoke cafe and restaurant.
ART SG runs 12 to 15 January 2023, at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, 10 Bayfront Ave, Singapore 018956. First Release tickets end on 23 November. Book now and get two tickets for the price of one.
All images courtesy of ART SG.
