Magnus Renfew Prepares for Art SG 2022
The Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report Findings
By Vivyan Yeo
The long awaited Art SG will now launch during Singapore Art Week in January 2022. We ask Magnus Renfrew, Co-Founder of Art SG, about what the findings of the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report 2021 mean for the fair, and what we can expect to see at the inaugural event.
ART SG Co-Founder Magnus Renfew. Photo by Joyce Yung.
ART SG will have a strong weighting towards the contemporary with a balance of work from Asia, Europe and the US. We will also have a select few galleries that will showcase blue-chip postwar Western Art. Our aim is to attract as diverse audiences as possible through our core values of quality, geographical diversity and accessibility. In addition to attracting established collectors, we are keen to bring new audiences to contemporary art and to expand the market. Given that Southeast Asia is home to many of the fastest growing economies in the world and with a population of 650 million people, it is time for Southeast Asia to have a world class art fair. For visitors from outside of Southeast Asia, we hope that the fair will be an opportunity to discover and engage with exceptional art from one of the most culturally diverse regions on the planet.
How will ART SG connect the Singapore art market to others in the Southeast Asian region and beyond?
ART SG is conceived as a hub fair for Southeast Asia, and that also counts within its extended catchment area India and Australia. We see the role of ART SG as a meeting place for all of these constituencies, and a much needed touchpoint on the art calendar for the rest of Asia to engage with Southeast Asia. Our wider group of art fairs include major events in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Delhi, Taipei and Sydney and we are building an exceptional VIP Relations network with representatives already on the ground in Singapore, Jakarta, Manila and Bangkok. With its geographical location, connectivity and exceptional infrastructure, Singapore is a natural nexus and through our extensive networks we look forward to bringing people together.
How will ART SG define itself for its first edition, and differentiate from SEA Focus and KIAF, which are scheduled to take place during Singapore Art Week 2022 as well?
We do not see ourselves as in competition with anyone and want to play a collaborative role in expanding the audience for contemporary art in Southeast Asia, and promoting artists and galleries from this diverse region to a wider audience. In addition to a strong representation of galleries from Singapore, Southeast Asia and across the Asia Pacific, ART SG will feature leading modern and contemporary art galleries from Europe and the USA. We look to have around 100 galleries in our first year. We want to create an art fair that is respectful of its location, and brings an exceptional and global line-up of galleries to be presented on Southeast Asia’s doorstep and on its terms.
ART SG will take place from 20 to 23 January 2022 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore. Click here for more information about the fair, and to sign up for its e-newsletter.
UBS is the founding and lead partner for ART SG.
