Mona Hatoum, Fossil Folly (group of 2) II, 2023, Two steel barrels, Dimensions variable, © Mona Hatoum. Photo © White Cube (Theo Christelis)

ART SG, Singapore and Southeast Asia’s leading international art fair, returns for its second edition at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, right in the heart of Singapore. With a VIP Preview and Vernissage on 18 January, the fair will run from 19 – 21 January 2024 featuring curated gallery presentations, ambitious large-scale installations, insightful conversations, a thought-provoking film sector, and expansive city-wide activations in close collaboration with Singapore Art Week, the city’s annual celebration of the visual arts.

After a highly successful launch in January 2023, ART SG’s upcoming edition will present an exceptional line-up of over 110 galleries from 33 countries and territories, representing the best in contemporary art practice.

Shuyin Yang, Fair Director, ART SG, said: “We are delighted to welcome the international art world back to Singapore once again with the second edition of ART SG. Collectors and visitors to the fair will be able to observe exceptional art presentations from Singapore and Southeast Asia, including established names and exciting new talents, alongside the best of global contemporary art from galleries across the world, through the fair’s thoughtfully curated sectors and programs. Across the full week of ART SG and throughout the city, there will also be a rich line-up of exhibitions from Singapore’s visual art institutions, private foundations and collections, gallery openings, and more, bringing together a week-long celebration of visual arts.

Placing a spotlight on Singapore as a fast-rising cultural capital and key destination for artistic exchange and discoveries, and co-timed with Singapore Art Week, the 2024 edition of ART SG continues to herald and present new opportunities for the art scene in Singapore, Southeast Asia and beyond, and establish itself as a vital platform and meeting point for artists, curators, collectors, institutions, galleries and art enthusiasts.”

Magnus Renfrew, Co-Founder, ART SG, added: “As Singapore emerges as a crucial player in the international art ecosystem, the 2024 edition will reaffirm the defining features of ART SG: an exceptional and uncompromising concentration of high-quality presentations; a vital convening point as Southeast Asia’s leading fair for galleries, collectors, institutions from around the world and a commitment to advancing new opportunities for our gallery community.”

LEADING INTERNATIONAL GALLERIES

Ryoji Ikeda, data.gram 13 [cells], 2022, LED display, computer, 71.7 x 41.6 cm, 48 seconds continuous loop, 1/6 + AP1, Courtesy TARO NASU

The 2024 edition will feature 68 leading international and regional galleries, showcasing multi-disciplinary presentations by represented artists, including painting, sculpture, drawing, installation, photography, video, and digital works of exceptional quality. Highlights include:

White Cube (London, Hong Kong, New York, Seoul, Paris, West Palm Beach) will present a thoughtfully curated showcase featuring artists including Tracey Emin, Isamu Noguchi, Marguerite Humeau, Theaster Gates, Ibrahim Mahama, Christian Marclay and Danh Vo, among others.

Lehmann Maupin (London, New York, Seoul) will feature a group presentation foregrounded by Nari Ward, Dominic Chambers and Lee Bul.

neugerriemschneider (Berlin) will present paintings, sculptures and textile works by Ai Weiwei, Thomas Bayrle, Billy Childish, Olafur Eliasson, Andreas Eriksson, Noa Eshkol, Thilo Heinzmann, Antje Majewski, Tobias Rehberger, Tomás Saraceno and Pae White.

Waddington Custot (London) will feature an exceptional group presentation including Bernar Venet, Michael Craig-Martin, Chu Teh-Chun, Robert Indiana, Hans Hartung, Barry Flanagan, Ian Davenport and Fernando Botero, of which a significant highlight is a monumental and iconic sculpture by Jean Dubuffet, Tour aux récits (Tower of Stories) from the artist’s celebrated “Hourloupe” cycle.

TARO NASU (Tokyo) will present a conceptually driven showcase featuring artists such as Simon Fujiwara, Ryan Gander, Ryoji Ikeda, Koichi Enomoto and Mika Tajima, looking at representations of their practices beyond acknowledged canons.

Asia Art Center (Taipei, Beijing) will feature two contemporary Taiwanese sculptors from different generations, Ju Ming and Li Chen, tracing the development context of contemporary sculpture in Taiwan, and breaking down conventional notions of space and form.

Kaikai Kiki Gallery (Tokyo) will present a curation of contemporary and emerging Japanese names including AYA TAKANO, Mr., ob, Akitoshi Akamatsu, TENGAone, MADSAKI, FUTURA, DABSMYLA, VERDY, Hisashi Eguchi, Hideyasu Moto, Shoko Nakazawa, Chinatsu Ban and Hideki Maekawa.

ShanghART (Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore) will showcase seminal Singaporean artist Tang Da Wu, who will be presenting a statement work of a sampan boat comprising wooden offcuts sourced from previous historical projects; alongside other gallery artists including Robert Zhao, Singapore’s representative at the Venice Biennale 2024.

MadeIn Gallery (Shanghai) will present a rich solo survey by XU ZHEN®, which encompasses the artist’s multi-disciplinary practice during the past decade through seven of his signature series.

Gazelli Art House (London, Baku) will present a two-artist showcase which reflects on Harold Cohen and Jake Elwes’ respective contributions to generative and computer-based art, charting technological creativity as well as contextualising the implementation of AI today, and its potential to address pressing social issues.

Sullivan+Strumpf (Melbourne, Sydney, Singapore) will focus on expressions of materiality through new works by artists including Alex Seton, Dawn Ng, Irfan Hendrian, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Sam Jinks among others.

Yavuz Gallery (Sydney, Singapore) will feature a presentation of new and critical works by leading artists from Southeast Asia and Australasia, including Abdul Abdullah, Alvin Ong, Pinaree Sanpitak and Manit Sriwanichpoom.

Johyun Gallery (Busan, Seoul) will showcase a collection of recent works by Korean artists, including Lee Bae, Park Seo-Bo, Jung Kwang Ho, Kang Kang Hoon, Lee Kwang Ho and Jin Meyerson, offering a unique reinterpretation of traditional materials and techniques in contemporary art.

SOUTHEAST ASIAN GALLERIES

Ruben Pang, Lifehunter, 2023, oil, alkyd and dammar varnish on aluminum composite panel, 180 x 120 cm. Courtesy Richard Koh Fine Art

ART SG 2024 will also present a strong line-up of Southeast Asian galleries making a dynamic debut at the fair, as well as some of the most significant galleries from across the region, featuring both established and emerging Southeast Asian artists. Highlights include:

Richard Koh Fine Art (Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok) will feature the evolving tapestry and rich visual language that characterises Southeast Asia’s contemporary art scene including Htein Lin, Justin Lim, Ruben Pang and Yim Maline.

Gajah Gallery (Singapore, Jakarta, Yogyakarta) will spotlight renowned artists with strong histories of practice, including innovative sculptures produced in collaboration with the Yogya Art Lab (YAL), such as Suzann Victor, Yunizar and Uji “Hahan” Handoko Eko Saputro.

FOST Gallery (Singapore) will create a significant showcase reflecting recent contemporary art practice in Singapore and Southeast Asia, including Donna Ong, Eng Tow, Ian Woo, Wyn-Lyn Tan, as well as Elaine Roberto-Navas and Luis Antonio Santos.

BANGKOK CITYCITY (Bangkok), making its debut at ART SG 2024, will feature a new installation by Tanatchai Bandasak, large-scale paintings by street artist Alex Face inspired by significant political movements in Thailand, and works by renowned Thai artist Korakrit Arunanondchai featuring his classic motifs of denim, fire and mythical imagery. Other artists in the exhibition include: Chanida Vorapitak, Dhanut Tungsuwan, Dusadee Huntrakul, Harit Srikhai, Miti Ruangkritya, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, Orawan Arunrak and Tae Patvit.

Nadi Gallery (Jakarta), another newcomer to the fair, will present a group showcase of established Indonesian names including; Agus Suwage, Eddie Hara, Handiwirman Saputra, Iwan Yusuf, J. Ariadhitya Pramuhendra, Justian Jafin W., Rizka Azizah Hayati, Ronald Manullang, Samsul Arifin and Yusra Martunus.

FOCUS

Tai Shani, The Neon Hieroglyph / Festival Dei Due Mondi, Spoleto, Italy, 2021. Courtesy Gathering

Featuring 36 presentations, FOCUS spotlights galleries showcasing focussed and curated programs with an emphasis on the development of artistic practices, the exploration of different mediums, especially digital art and new media, and emerging to mid-career artists. Highlights include:

An immersive installation, reminiscent of ritualistic burial chambers by 2019 joint Turner Prize winner Tai Shani, presented by Gathering (London).

New works by Carlos Aires, specifically created for the fair, featuring banknotes from several of the ASEAN countries, from his series “Love Songs in Times of Crisis”, presented by Sabrina Amrani (Madrid).

A selection of works made with generative procedures by Quayola and Refik Anadol, two of the most acclaimed artists working at the forefront of technology and machine intelligence to transform datasets into painterly abstraction, presented by bitforms gallery (New York).

A curated presentation exploring the cinematics in Taiwanese video art by Chi-Wen (Taipei) through the work of six eminent Taiwanese and Japanese video artists: Su Hui-Yu, Tsui Kuang-Yu, Tsubasa Kato, Wang Jun-Jieh, Yu Cheng-Ta and 2ENTER.

The first-ever overseas solo presentation of Japanese artist Yutaka Aoki, featuring a selection of abstract works focussed on light as a multi-faceted element, presented by KOSAKU KANECHIKA (Tokyo).

A curated presentation of three Filipino artists Kristoffer Ardeña, JC Jacinto and Zean Cabangis united by their painterly explorations of working with layers and meaning-making, presented by Artinformal Gallery (Makati City, Mandaluyong City).

A selection of works, by Filipino artist Gerardo Tan who represented the Philippines at the 59^th Venice Biennale, from his “Turntable Paintings” series where he refashioned a needle that paints over the vinyl records’ grooves as they play, and Maria Cruz’s “One Million Dollars” project, in which she considers the social value of money by carefully tracing the outlines of dollar coins to fill them in various colour orchestrations, presented by The Drawing Room (Manila).

FUTURES

Evelyn Bencicova and Enes Güç, Work in Progress, 2020, Hahnemühle PR Ultra Smooth, Dibond mount, 56×100 cm, edition 3/6. Courtesy Artemis Gallery

FUTURES, the sector dedicated to supporting young galleries under the age of 10 years, presents 10 galleries showcasing new curated presentations for ART SG. Highlights include:

Artemis Gallery (Lisbon) will bring together new media artists Evelyn Bencicova, kennedy+swan and Studio Above&Below, all of whom are known for pushing the boundaries of digital image-making through video, computer-generated imagery and immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality.

The Back Room (Kuala Lumpur) will present large, textile-based works broadly revolving around themes of identity and independence by three emerging talents from Southeast Asia and Central America: Antonio Pichillá Quiacaín (Guatemala), Marcos Kueh (Malaysia/Netherlands) and Red Hong Yi (Malaysia). The booth will be anchored by a fluorescent, multi-work woven installation by Marcos Kueh that touches on themes of the postcolonial subject, flanked by woven works by Antonio Pichillá Quiacaín inspired by his indigenous identity and Red Hong Yi’s investigations into womanhood.

Spotlighting emerging Malaysian artists, Rissim Contemporary (Kuala Lumpur) will showcase paintings by Paul Nickson Atia from his series “Torun Tana? (There Is Something About Home)” which delves deep into the artist’s personal relationship with Sarawak and his Bidayuh heritage, alongside collage works by Saiful Razman from 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.

Shedding light on the Mekong region of Thailand, Warin Lab Contemporary (Bangkok) will showcase The Study of Khon Pi Luang by ubatsat, paper works investigating the vanishing ecology of the Great Mekong river and its riparian ecosystem in the face of modernity, in addition to The Martyrs of the Plateau, Lord of the Toads, and the Monument of a Small Rice Box by Nakrob Moonmanas, which recalls Isaan folklore and political conflicts between Siam (present-day Thailand) and the Mekong.

PLATFORM

Ian Davenport, Lake No.1 (Tide), 2023, acrylic on aluminium panels, 280 x 592 x 447 cm. Courtesy Waddington Custot

Featuring five artists from diverse backgrounds and generations, PLATFORM presents a curated exhibition of dynamic, large-scale and site-specific installations situated across the fair including:

A mixed-media installation Home by British-Chinese artist Gordon Cheung, in the form of traditional Chinese windows, made from financial newspapers and bamboo. Hovering between states of “being”, the installation’s “ghost” architecture recalls homes that were demolished in the face of China’s rapid urbanisation. Having witnessed the 1997 British to China handover of the then colonised Hong Kong, Cheung’s dual identity as British-Chinese prompts him to think about the definition of home, where and what it is, and the narratives of conquest.

Immortal Words, a bio-art project by Singapore-based artist Boedi Widjaja presenting collectible DNA-spiked objects through capsule vending machines, is a continuation of his decade-long research into body, memory, language and encoding. The project is supported by the National Arts Council and developed in consultation with geneticist Associate Professor Eric Yap of Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine

Translated as “Hornbill Circus” from Sarawak Malay, the ongoing project Kenyalang Circus by Sarawakian textile artist Marcos Kueh interrogates the possibility of authenticity within a culture of icons, taking a satirical eye to the commercialisation of Borneo and Sarawak as “Malaysia’s exotic unknown”. Marcos Kueh will present new large-scale textile works as part of the Kenyalang Circus series, integrating visual motifs commonly associated with Southeast Asia – especially Borneo and Sarawak – within the format of large woven banners, creating a subtle commentary on cultural expectations and appropriation.

Donna Ong will present works from the “Every World” series, creating fantastical worlds through her unique artistic practice of arranging miniature hand-cut paper shapes of tropical flora and fauna housed inside a glass vitrine. This mode of display evokes the idea of a terrarium, a miniature landscape, however while a terrarium contains real plant specimens, their placement and environment are entirely deliberate and controlled, bridging reality and the magical.

British abstract painter Ian Davenport will present Lake, a large-scale painting-installation that used 120 litres of paint in its creation, and an ambitious evolution of his “puddle” paintings. The genesis of this series of work at this scale started at the 57^th Venice Biennale and has continued across various sites, most recently in 2022 at Rome’s historic cloister, Chiostro Del Bramante.

FILM

Su Hui-Yu, Future Shock: The End of Eternity. Courtesy Chi-Wen Gallery

Former National Gallery Singapore curator and film and new media specialist Sam I-shan will curate ART SG’s FILM program, which is hosted in collaboration with the ArtScience Museum. Originally from Singapore and presently based in Phnom Penh, Sam I-shan brings an exceptional understanding of Southeast Asian film, new media and moving image to her selection for the fair.

Full program announced soon. 

TALKS

ART SG will present a series of insightful conversations offering participants a chance to delve deeper into Southeast Asian contemporary culture in context to the global art landscape. Curator, writer and Founder and Director of ‘in-tangible institute’ Zoe Butt will curate bipartite sessions on critical issues within the Southeast Asian ecosystem, including the urgency of support for the next generation of artistic practitioners, and the role and relevance of collectors, curators and dealers within this support network.

Full program announced soon. 

ART SG 2024 Dates & Times

VIP PREVIEW (BY INVITATION ONLY)
Thursday, 18 January | 2pm – 5pm

VERNISSAGE
Thursday, 18 January | 5pm–9pm

GENERAL ADMISSION
Friday, 19 January | 12pm – 7pm
Saturday, 20 January | 11am – 7pm
Sunday, 21 January | 11am – 5pm