A surge of art fairs, each catering to different budgets and tastes, is crashing onto our shores. Gwen Pew highlights five upcoming editions worth checking out.
7 Oct 2014:
Milan Image Art & Design Fair
‘MIA&D Fair is the only art fair that highlights photography and video art production,’ says exhibition director Lorenza Castelli.
First founded by Fabio Castelli in Milan in 2011, this is the first time the fair is held outside of the Italian city, and Castelli is hoping to make it an annual edition here.
Type of art Contemporary art in the form of photography, video and design by both established and emerging artists from Asia as well as Western countries. There will also be a design furniture section in the Singapore edition.
Price range $5,000-$50,000 Highlights Local or locally-based galleries include 2902 Gallery, Richard Koh Fine Art and Sundaram Tagore. Italian galleries to look out for include MC2, Spazio Nuovo and Costantini.
Affordable Art Fair
‘AAF Singapore brings a new generation of collectors into the market by breaking down the barriers for new buyers,’ says fair director Camilla Hewitson.
First founded by Will Ramsay in London in 1999, the Affordable Art Fair has since expanded to 12 other cities, including New York, Hong Kong and Singapore, where it has been held annually since 2010. This year marks the first time the fair is being held twice in a year in the city, and organisers are hoping to keep it a bi-annual affair.
Type of art Affordable paintings, prints, sculptures and photographs.
Price range $100-$10,000 Highlights Artcommune Gallery (Singapore), representing Hong Sek Chern, known for her unconventional depiction of landscapes and urban-scapes; TAG Fine Arts (UK), representing David Spiller, who combines the punchy aesthetics of pop art with his own brand of expressionism; and Eyestorm (UK) representing Jacky Tsai, famous for the floral skulls he created for the late Alexander McQueen in 2008.
Bank Art Fair
‘Some fairs depend on the reputation of attending galleries. But we prefer young gallerists and artists,’ says founder Tomy Kim.
First founded by Tomy Kim in South Korea in 2009, which had originally operated under different names. The first Bank Art Fair, however, was held at Island Shangri- La Hotel in Hong Kong last year. The Singapore edition will also be debuting this year, and will be returning annually.
Type of art Mostly paintings – especially in oil – but also sculptures. The majority of the works are contemporary, and participating galleries and artistshail from all over the world including South Korea, North and South America, Myanmar, Hong Kong and more.
Price range $1,000-$20,000, with most going for $4,000-$5,000
Highlights Aldaza Art Gallery (South America), KHANKHALAEV Gallery and Marta Ashadze Gallery (Russia) and Ashok Jain (US).
Singapore Art Fair
‘The fair will profile Singaporean artists alongside their international peers, driving demand for Singapore’s creative talent,’ says executive director Jason Ng.
First founded by Laure d’Hauteville, who is also behind the Beirut Art Fair, Singapore Art Fair will hold its inaugural edition this year. It will be held here yearly.
Type of art Works by both emerging and established artists from the ME.NA.SA. regions.
Price range $30,000-$50,000 on average, though some pieces do reach seven figures.
Highlights Finale Art File (the Philippines), Artemis Art Gallery (Malaysia), Ode to Art (Singapore/Malaysia), XVA Gallery and JAMM Art Gallery (UAE), and Samar Kozah Gallery (Syria).
Art Stage Singapore
‘Art Stage Singapore leads the Singapore Art Week as its pillar event,’ says founder and fair director Lorenzo Rudolf.
First founded by Lorenzo Rudolf in 2011 as the first international art fair in Singapore. It occurs annually.
Type of art Modern and contemporary art from Asia and the world, with a selection of regions having their own curated platforms. Three-quarters of the works in the 2014 edition were from the Asia Pacific region.
Price range Between four and seven digits.
Highlights White Cube (UK), ShanghART Gallery (China/ Singapore), Tomio Koyama Gallery (Japan/Singapore), Pearl Lam Galleries (Hong Kong/Singapore).
GWEN PEW 