Organizers of Singapore art fair ART SG have revealed more than 150 exhibitors from thirty countries who will be participating in the event’s inaugural edition, slated to take place in 2023 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre. Among the galleries who will be showing work are Almine Rech, Gagosian, Gladstone Gallery ,Lehmann Maupin, Pace, Perrotin, and Thaddaeus Ropac, all of which have one or more outposts in Asia. Participating galleries based in Asia, some with ties to the West, include Seoul’s Gallery Hyundai and One and J. Gallery, Taipei’s Liang Gallery, Tokyo’s MAKI Gallery, and Pearl Lam Galleries, which has branches in Hong Kong and Shanghai. A number of Singapore galleries will be represented, among them 39+ Art Space, Richard Koh Fine Art, ShanghART Gallery, STPI, and Yavuz Gallery.
The fair, which was originally announced in 2018, has encountered many stumbling blocks, first losing its backer, Art Basel parent MCH Group in a blow that caused the fair to shift dates from early to late November 2019. Shortly thereafter, organizers were forced to push the event forward to 2020 after participants asked for more time to prepare; the ensuing Covid-19 crisis caused cascading postponements to 2021, 2022, and now 2023, with MCH Group back on board, according to Artnews.
The fair, which will be divided into sections respectively highlighting veteran galleries (Galleries), young galleries (Future), solo and dual-artist presentations (Focus), and digital work (Reframe), arrives as the Asian art market continues to heat up, with major near art fairs planned to launch in Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea in the next year.
“We believe the launch of ART SG will crystallise Singapore’s position as an exceptional cultural venue within the international art landscape,” said ART SG director Shuyin Yang. “Through bringing the international art world to a location closer to home, ART SG will not only invite the world’s leading collectors and art leaders to experience Singapore and all that the region has to offer, but also encourage a new generation of emerging collectors to be inspired by the rich diversity of art immediately at our doorstep.”
Kavi Gupta Gallery, amongst many others, will be participating.