A Visual Feast Awaits: 116 Galleries paint the town at ART SG!

Take a seat. You’re about to be served. Brace yourself, my dearest reader, for the feast you’re about to embark on. The menu? A tantalising array of artistic flavours curated from the corners of the globe. You see, ART SG isn’t just an art fair – it’s a Michelin-starred extravaganza where canvases are plated, sculptures are served, and installations are the pièce de résistance. The chefs? 116 renowned galleries from 33 countries, each presenting their signature dish of creativity. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the visual feast that is ART SG!

Your eyes are about to eat. At the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, from 19 to 21 January 2024, your eyes will feast on the works of artists from around the world at the second edition of ART SG. Organised by The Art Assembly, your soul will be in the presence of the burning passion of artists who are waiting earnestly for their work to be seen. Every artwork you’ll see is a delicacy, and the aroma of creativity will fill the air.

ART SG once again welcomes renowned names into their abode, including Yayoi Kusama, Damien Hirst and Banksy, but outdoes itself with 38 new galleries that will be joining their table for the first time, including Kaikai Kiki Gallery, Poligrafa Obra Grafica, Nadi Gallery, and more!

This year, ART SG places 3 main sectors on the table for your choosing – Galleries, Focus, and Futures. 

Galleries

If you have the appetite for diverse exhibitions, then the show’s primary and largest sector, Galleries, is yours to take, with lavish works of art ranging from painting, sculpture and drawing, to installation, photography, video, and digital works.

With stunning pieces from 69 leading international and regional galleries, including White Cube, neugerriemschneider, TARO NASU, and ShanghART, your eyes will be feasting, and your mind will be at work as you marvel at the beauty before your eyes. Not to forget their vast showcase of Southeast Asian galleries as well, including Gajah Gallery, FOST Gallery and BANGKOK CITYCITY.

The above piece is by Kaikai Kiki Gallery (Tokyo), who are presenting a curation of contemporary and emerging Japanese names, particularly acclaimed female painter, Aya Takano, at ART SG.

Aya painted this stunning piece that appears to be in bright, cheerful colours but still somehow feels ominous, as if the girls and the dragon are heading towards their end. My personal take is that the culture and tradition of something like the dragon dance meet their doom with modernisation erupting from the ground like these tall buildings in the painting. 

Or maybe this piece by Dawn Ng of the gallery, Sullivan+Strumpf (Melbourne, Sydney, Singapore). With the title reminiscent of a lyric from Dream A Little Dream Of Me by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, this artwork truly feels like a dream. Playing with white space, Dawn uses these otherwise gloomy colours laced with gold to convey a glimmer of hope in something that resembles a black hole. It’s an intriguing piece, a treat for the eyes that you can’t stop staring at. What does this piece stir up in you?

But hey! There is no such thing as right or wrong in art. It’s about what your heart feels and what your mind takes away from looking at it. What do yours say?

Focus

On the vast table that ART SG is being served on, we see another sector – Focus. It spotlights galleries showcasing focused and curated programs with an emphasis on the development of artistic practices while exploring different mediums for art, especially digital art and new media.

And this piece becomes a primal example of a piece in Focus; one a little tougher to stomach. Tai Shani from Gathering (London) presented this installation for the 64th edition of the Festival dei Due Mondi, where she portrays a benevolent ghost coiled in lucky charms and tears. This site-specific sculpture takes your breath away. It’s fascinating how Tai combines elements of nature, like the sun and water, with something from a darker, more ominous realm. 

Read all about this piece before checking it out at ART SG and giving your brain power a whirl as you unpack this spectacular work of art.

Also explore the creative endeavours of Gerardo Tan, a Filipino artist who made his mark representing the Philippines at the prestigious 59th Venice Biennale. Delve into his innovative “Turntable Paintings” series at ART SG, where he refashioned a needle to paint over the grooves of vinyl records as they play. 

Also, witness Maria Cruz’s thought-provoking project titled “One Million Dollars,” an exploration of the societal value of money. Cruz meticulously traces the outlines of dollar coins, infusing them with vibrant colour orchestrations. These captivating works are presented by The Drawing Room (Manila) and are yours to devour with your senses at ART SG!

Futures

Consider the Futures sector a sweet treat on this magnificent feast we call ART SG. This sector is dedicated to supporting young galleries under the age of ten years. You will find 11 galleries with stunning presentations they’ve prepared within the last 18 months, just for ART SG, which means it’s prepared just for you.

Artemis Gallery (Lisbon) brings the future to you with their new media artists Evelyn Bencicova, kennedy+swan and Studio Above&Below. Known for pushing the boundaries of digital image-making through video, computer-generated imagery and immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, their works are bound to blow you away and open your eyes to a new realm in art! It is not just a visual feast, but also for the imagination!

Meanwhile, Rissim Contemporary (Kuala Lumpur) presents two promising artists who will treat your eyes and mind with compelling works, touching you to the core. Paul Nickson Atia brings you “Torun Tana? (There Is Something About Home)”, a piece that gives you a taste of his personal relationship with Sarawak and his Bidayuh heritage. Saiful Razman brings you a piece of home to your palette with his series “Apartments”, made from medical gauze and rolled tissue paper, inspired by the design of low-cost apartments in Kuala Lumpur from the 1990s. 

All these pieces and many magnificent more from 9 more galleries await your presence at ART SG!

Other than the three main courses, the Galleries, Focus, and Futures sectors, your feasting table that is ART SG will also be filled with a bunch of other sides, bringing you the full visual-dining experience that this breathtaking art fair promises – Platform, Film, and Talks.

Catch dynamic and large-scale site-specific installations in the Platform sector, featuring 5 artists from diverse backgrounds and generations. Hold your breath as you eagerly wait to experience an artwork as compelling as Gordon Cheung’s mixed-media installation, “Home”, in the form of traditional Chinese windows made from financial newspapers and bamboo. And many more that will take your breath away.

Take on the Film sector, where you can anticipate a captivating blend of artistic expressions, from the collaborative masterpiece “Async – First Light” by renowned Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul, to “And A Great Sign Appeared,” a visually compelling video capturing the essence of Asian openbill storks by Singaporean artist Robert Zhao.

And finally, munch on some talks in the talks sector – behold, a series of insightful conversations featuring art world thought leaders, offering you a chance to delve deeper into contemporary Southeast Asian culture in the global art landscape. One of the speakers includes Zoe Butt, Founder and Director of ‘in-tangible institute’, who will deliver a thought-provoking talk set about critical issues within the Southeast Asian ecosystem, including the urgency of support for the next generation of artistic practitioners. Does this tickle your fancy? Join in!

Once again, take a seat. You’re about to be served. From 19 to 21 January 2024, this visual and cultural feast is yours for the taking. Just as a sumptuous feast leaves you craving more, this art extravaganza invites you to satiate your hunger for inspiration. 

116 galleries, 33 countries, 1 epic weekend. It’s a feast. We await your presence.

ART SG

Dates: 19 to 21 January 2024
Address: 10 Bayfront Ave, Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore 018956
Opening Hours: 

• Friday, 19 January: 12pm – 7pm
• Saturday, 20 January: 11am – 7pm
• Sunday, 21 January: 11am – 5pm

Price:

Buy your tickets right now on ART SG’s official website. Stay tuned to their socials on Instagram and Facebook for all the latest updates as you feast on this magnificent artistic banquet! 

Visuals Courtesy of ART SG, Kaikai Kiki Gallery, Sullivan+Strumpf, and Gathering.