Over 150 International Galleries Come Together at First-Ever Art SG

(SPOT.ph) Singapore is often top of mind when it comes to quick Asian travels. You don't need a visa, flights from Manila are frequent, and it has an efficient public transport system. It's a shopping haven with rows of boutique stores as well as night markets, a foodie hub with a variety of restaurants and dining outlets, and cultural hotspots where the old meets new. But in 2023, Singapore is set to add another must-see event to its repertoire as the first-ever ART SG is happening from January 12 to 15 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

"As Southeast Asia’s most selective and largest art fair to date, the launch of ART SG will create a defining moment in Asia’s cultural landscape and shine a spotlight on Singapore. The scale and caliber of our inaugural exhibitor list demonstrate a strong commitment and shared belief in the importance of the art market in the region. With the support of our exceptional partners, stakeholders, Advisory Group, and team, ART SG will be a new platform with global significance on the cultural landscape to bring the international community to Singapore each January to experience the best of contemporary art from Southeast Asia and around the world," said Magnus Renfrew, co-founder of ART SG, in a statement.

Here's what you need to know about this international art fair:

ART SG is having a total of five sectors: Galleries, which brings together over 150 international and regional galleries; Focus, which focuses on Southeast Asian and Asian artists; Futures, which brings to the spotlight young galleries founded less than six years ago; Reframe, which dabbles with technological innovation in art; and Film, which is showcasing new filmmaking practices and experimental pieces.

The main Galleries sector itself is already a huge highlight of ARTSG:

• German art dealer David Zwirner is presenting works by Oscar Murillo, Josh Smith, and Neo Rauch.
• London-based gallery White Cube features Imi Knoebel, Ibrahim Mahama, and Mona Hatoum.
• Austrian gallerist Thaddaeus Ropac is bringing in pieces by Tom Sachs, Georg Baselitz, Alex Katz, Robert Rauschenberg, Martha Jungwirth, Robert Longo, Oliver Beer, Sylvie Fleury, and Cory Arcangel.
• Belgian art dealer Xavier Hufkens is presenting major artists Louise Bourgeois, Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley, Thomas Houseago, Cassi Namoda, Sterling Ruby, and Zhang Enli.
• Lehmann Maupin, which is founded by Rachel Lehmann and David Maupin, represents Malaysian artist Mandy El-Sayegh, Koean sculptor Lee Bul, and Vietnamese American painter Tammy Nguyen

Other galleries and gallerists include Almine Rech, Richard Koh Fine Art, TKG+ from Taipei, Yavuz Gallery, Ota Fine Arts, SCAI the Bathhouse from Tokyo, Taka Ishii Gallery from Tokyo, and FOST Gallery from Singapore.

Aside from the art exhibit, ART SG is also having a series of art talks curated by Cosmin Costinas, who was recently appointed as the director of the 24th Biennale of Sydney happening in 2024.

ART SG is from January 12 to 15, 2023 at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore.

Main art: L: "Finding You Here Again" by Grace Wright (Yavuz Gallery, 2022); R: Art by Makiko Kudo (Tomio Koyama)