Art Stage Singapore 2015
By Marybeth Stock
Over 7,000 guests roamed the fifth edition of Art Stage Singapore on January 21—and the fair hadn’t even officially opened yet. The invitation-only crowd proceeded to snap up works by regional artists at impressive prices. Enthusiastic collectors, both veterans and those new to the art scene, bought works ranging from USD 12,000 to USD 75,000. The annual fair, held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, has built its now considerable reputation with its energetic and enlightened focus on Southeast Asian art. This year’s Art Stage is bigger than ever: it features 197 galleries from 29 countries and integrates an extensive Southeast Asia Platform together with five Special Exhibitions platforms. Despite the substantial crowd—which will undoubtedly increase over the weekend—and the expanded number of galleries, the Convention Centre’s 17,000 square meters still allowed for comfortable elbow room and plenty of white space to appreciate an astounding selection of art from around the world.
Over 75 percent of this year’s exhibitors are Asia-Pacific based—34 of these are Singapore galleries, a point that surely satisfies Art Stage’s long-time supporting organizations that include Singapore’s Economic Development Board, the Singapore Tourism Board and the National Arts Council. Among the 88 returning galleries this year are Ota Fine Arts (Singapore/Tokyo), Pearl Lam Galleries (Hong Kong/Singapore/Shanghai), ShanghART Gallery (Shanghai/Beijing/Singapore), Singapore Tyler Print Institute (Singapore), Tina Keng Gallery/TKG+ (Taipei), Tomio Koyama Gallery (Tokyo/Singapore), Sundaram Tagore Gallery (New York/Hong Kong/Singapore) and White Cube Gallery (London), among others. There are many new galleries, with more exhibitors from the Philippines, South Korea and Japan. Some of the fresh faces include MA2 Gallery (Japan), Marc Straus (US), International Art (UK/Singapore), Piero Atchugarry (Uruguay), Johyun Gallery (Korea), 1335 Mabini (Philippines), Gordon Gallery (Israel), Eternal Art Space (China) and Kogure (Japan).
