Art SG in Singapore sees significant sales

“It was gratifying to see Singaporeans and many others from around the world turn out in force for ART SG. Singapore has truly shown its ability to appeal to many different audiences with its dynamic arts scene. I am truly excited to see how its story unfolds over the years to come,” stated Shuyin Yang, Fair Director of Art SG, adding that she was “thrilled to report a strong second edition”.

While the number of exhibitors stood at 114, more than 25 per cent less than its inaugural edition in 2023, the sales at Art SG were shifter as several works found buyers within hours of the event opening on January 18. “The first day got off to a good start as we sold two works by established European artists to collectors from Southeast Asia, another by Australian artist Jessica Rankin, and had several serious conversations, which converted into sales, allowing for the fair to reach a GBP of 1.5 million,” stated Wendy Xu, General Manager, Asia, White Cube (London, Hong Kong, New York, Seoul, Paris, West Palm Beach). The gallery sold, among others, Turner-Prize winner Tracey Emin’s Move Me (GBP 60,000), Australian artist Jessica Rankin’s Shift the Ocean’s Floor (USD 60,000), and London-based Darren Almond’s Senryū’s (Winter) (GBP 25,000).

One of the eye-catching pieces of the showcase – Netherlands-based artist Marcos Kueh’s larger-than-life vibrant tapestry Woven Billboards: Nenek Moyang – was sold by The Back Room in the range of SGD 50,000 to 100,000 to an institution in Singapore. “As first-time participants in an international art fair, we’re thrilled with the reception that our booth and Platform public installation have received. We got to meet friends old and new, and many of our KL friends even travelled down to support us. The outpouring of support and genuine interest in our artists has been heartening — we hope this will lead to wider exposure for our artists and for Malaysian art in general,” stated Liza Ho, Director of the Kuala Lumpur-based The Back Room.

White Cube booth

Another significant sale was British abstract painter Ian Davenport’s wall-to-floor installation Lake No.1 (Tide) which was sold by Waddington Custot for $360,000. The London gallery also sold Irish-Welsh sculptor Barry Flanagan’s Elephant with Tusks and Nijinski Hare to a Singapore-based Chinese resident for $680,000, and Switzerland-based artist Yves Dana’s Pierre de Patience for $92,000 to another Singapore-based collector. “Singapore is emerging as a serious place for the modern art collector,” stated Jacob Twyford, Senior Director, Waddington Custot.

Held at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, the event had several important institutional representatives and collectors walking its aisles. In attendance, among others, were Sook-Kyung Lee, director of the Whitworth gallery; Haryanto Adikoesoemo, Founder of Museum MACAN, Indonesia; Patrick Son, founder of Sunpride Foundation in Hong Kong; Aaron Cezar, Founding Director of Delfina Foundation in the UK; Zoe Whitley, Director, Chisenhale Gallery in London; as well as collectors Alan Lau from Hong Kong, Alexander Tedja from Indonesia, Kim and Lito Camacho from Singapore, Rudy Tseng from Taiwan, and Rvisra Chirathivat from Thailand. “We’re happy to be back at ART SG to see how the fair is developing. It’s still a young fair but it’s growing in terms of attendance and drawing prominent collectors from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. There’s also notably more energy and pace than last year, with clear intent to buy and sales happening more swiftly. We had strong sales during the fair, including works by Anselm Kiefer, Alex Katz, James Rosenquist, Lee Bul, Oliver Beer, Heemin Chung among others, affirming the evolving market here,” stated Dawn Zhu, Director of Asia, Thaddaeus Ropac (London, Paris, Salzburg, Seoul).

Ivan

The fair also saw the participation of three galleries from India — DAG, Studio Art, and Anant Art. A participant during the inaugural edition of the event in 2023, recalling her experience at the time, Bhavna Kakar, director of Delhi-based Latitude 28 gallery, stated: “Despite a substantial collector base for Indian art in Singapore, substantial sales at Art SG were slow. I did notable sales last year, including one for a significant regional museum. While there was a buzz around the fair, the returns fell short, primarily due to exorbitant freight costs and other logistics. Given the city’s immense wealth and cultural influence, one would expect the collector base to grow over time. Let’s observe, and perhaps in the coming years, it will witness significant expansion, prompting our return.” Challenging established norms in miniatures and contemporary art, her presentation at the fair included works by artists like Gopa Trivedi, Sanket Viramgami, Wardha Shabbir, Waseem Ahmed and Waswo X Waswo.

Waddington Custot

Affirming that the fair is growing each year, Magnus Renfrew, co-founder, ART SG said: “A significant number of collectors and institutions from the region and further afield attended the fair demonstrating the appeal of both the fair as well as the city’s abundant cultural offerings. Our participating galleries reported swift and robust sales at this buzzy and energetic edition. In addition, we are also proud of the city’s arts scene and how it has embraced ART SG for Singapore Art Week 2024. This year has shown once again that ART SG can both burnish and support Singapore’s increasingly influential role as a hub for the Indo-Pacific’s growing art market and its world-class visual art ecosystems.”

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