9 Southeast Asian Galleries at Taipei Dangdai

Representing the region in the new art fair
By A&M

Anne Samat, ‘The Goddess of Love’, 2017, rattan sticks, yarns, washers, rakes, PVC chains, home, fashion accessories, (kitchen & garden) utensils and stationery items, 304 x 127 x 20cm. Image courtesy of Richard Koh Fine Art and the artist.

The inaugural edition of Taipei Dangdai will take place from 18 January to 20 January 2018 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Centre, featuring 90 international galleries, with nine galleries from Southeast Asia.

These are Gajah Gallery (Singapore, Yogyakarta), which will present works by Ashley Bickerton and Richard Koh Fine Art (Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok) with works by Anne Samat, Nadiah Bamadhaj, Jason Wee and Trong Gia Nguyen. Yavuz Gallery (Singapore) will  present works by Filipino artist duo Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan, as well as Thai artist Pinaree Sanpitak. The other Southeast Asian galleries participating are Pearl Lam Galleries (Singapore), iPRECIATION (Singapore), Ota Fine Art (Singapore), Sullivan+Strumpf (Singapore) and Mizuma Art Gallery.

Commenting on the appeal of the art fair for galleries from the region, Gajah Gallery Director Jasdeep Sandhu says, “With 70 of the 90 galleries exhibiting at Taipei Dangdai having their primary space in Asia, the fair brands itself as a “cultural celebration”, emphasizing “regionality”. Alongside market heavyweights — top-tier dealers from the West  — it is important to us that we represent an often overlooked, yet steadily rising, Southeast Asian art scene.”

Ashley Bickerton, ‘Apex Species, Apex Moment. Before the Fall. Mother’, 2018’, oil and acrylic on canvas, 210 x 197 x 8.5cm. Image courtesy of Gajah Gallery and the artist.

Commenting on the long-standing interest Taiwanese collectors have had in Southeast Asian art, RKFA says, “Taiwan has always been one of the few markets that have a keen interest in the Southeast Asian artists, and there are already a few Southeast Asian artists who have shown there in galleries for a few years. It is natural for the gallery to participate and show a selection of our Southeast Asian artists in the fair.”

Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan, ‘Left Wing Project (Belok Kiri Jalan Terus) Wing B’, 2017-2018, sickles, weighing scale, rice sack, 302 x 85 x 42cm. Image courtesy of Yavuz Gallery and the artists.

Aside from the main Galleries sector, there are also the Solos, Young Galleries and Salon sectors. The Galleries sector will present 73 galleries, the Solos will showcase 13 individual presentations by both emerging and established artists, and the Young Galleries will feature four galleries, including Roh Projects from Jakarta.

One of the innovative highlights of the fair is the Salon sector, where all 90 participating galleries at the fair will contribute one artwork priced under USD8,000 in a bid to attract young and new collectors. “Our aspiration is to bring new collectors into the market with our unique structure of sectors, offering quality at every price point,” says Magnus Renfrew, Fair Director, Taipei Dangdai. “Art is about ideas which are common to all of us and Taipei Dangdai aspires to be a meeting place for the exchange of these ideas, providing a context which unpackages art for the wider audience and reduces the intimidation factor.”

A&M is proud to be one of the official media for Taipei Dangdai.