The highly anticipated 2nd edition of Singapore Contemporary returns on January 19 – 22 to the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, featuring a wide-ranging collection of high-quality, collectable artworks from across Asia and the world presented in curated sectors.
The show is expected to welcome exhibitors from 20 countries including Asia, Australia, Europe and North and South America. The vibrant and diverse range of works on exhibit will include investment-grade art with a strong secondary market and auction following, plus those by career artists, whose works are included in private and public collections, and some of the world’s most promising up-and-coming artists.
Collectors and art buyers will be invited to browse and buy original paintings, limited editions, sculpture and photography, as well as large-scale installations; and to participate in an enriching program of complimentary talks, tours, and live painting demonstrations.
As a core event during Singapore Art Week, Singapore Contemporary will be a meeting place for the local and regional contemporary art scene with artists, seasoned and new collectors, curators and art enthusiasts all expected to visit over the four days. Show Director Douwe Cramer believes that at its core, an art fair should be about more than just selling art, but should also be a place where people come to develop a greater understanding and awareness of art.
“Singapore Art Week is not only about the art, it is about the learning and experiencing of art, the talking about art, and Singapore Contemporary supports this ethos with a defined program that fosters artistic discovery – whether through educational talks led by experts in the field or artists themselves, or through a series of exciting and informative tours led by experienced docents from some of Singapore’s most respected art institutions. The aim is to create a nurturing environment where art is felt, its context and processes demystified,” he explained.
“Take for example Photo17 Singapore, our new, curated photo-centred exhibition. Although there is widespread interest in photography, many art buyers are still reluctant to add photography to their collections. This is partly due to a lack of understanding of the medium and the processes involved. With Photo17 Singapore we want to help make a larger group of art buyers comfortable with photography and introduce some genuinely collectable works.”
Singapore Contemporary – A World of Art Spread Over Curated Sectors
PHOTO17 SINGAPORE
Singapore Contemporary introduces its first curated platform dedicated to photography – Photo17 Singapore. The exhibition will aim to illustrate the growing importance of photography as an artistic medium and collectable art form. The exhibition will emphasise the concept that photography is about more than just photo taking. It is about photo making and the processes involved, from conception to final print, which makes the medium highly innovative. The continuous evolution of new ideas and practices opens photography to be expressed in various forms, which Photo17 will highlight, specifically through Fine Art, Conceptual, Documentary and Mixed Media/Digital Installation photography. The curatorial approach will thematically tie together these sectors, to foster a dialogue about photography between the artists and the audience.
Kate Baker, Australia
Australian photographer Kate Baker locks ghostly, elusive and suggestive images into layers of glass and metal, reflecting themes of a complex human environment layered with physical, psychological and emotional strata. Drawing on her background in studio glass, the artist integrates photography, printmaking and sculpture into her creations, producing innovative and evocative works that invite the viewer to consider the relationship between the self and one’s experience. Baker has exhibited extensively, including at the Glass Biennale in Venice, Italy.
Olivia Marty, France – Visionairs Gallery (Singapore)
Olivia Marty’s (b.1978) work draws on Vietnam’s past explored in the present. It blends photography, architectural elements and street art by superimposing layers of vintage photographs projected onto urban surfaces such as buildings, construction and dump sites, and shipyards, all re-captured through the lens into a comprehensive and haunting story. The artist aims to fuse together not only disparate materials but also differing dimensions of time and space. Marty has exhibited in Shanghai, Singapore, the Netherlands and Vietnam.
Olivia Marty, Visionairs Gallery Asia, Singapore
ARTIST DIALOGUES
Offering viewers the unique opportunity to meet artists in person, Artist Dialogues returns to Singapore Contemporary with an expanded line-up of local and international artists. This highly popular sector brings narrative and context to life with the artist as storyteller, chronicling the accounts of what motivates and inspires their work and artistic practice. Artists will also engage in daily live painting demonstrations, inviting curious viewers into their private creative spheres to witness art as it unfolds. Singapore Contemporary is proud to provide this unique feature as a platform for artist and visitor engagement.
Francesco Lietti, Italy – Macey & Sons (Hong Kong)
Francesco Lietti (b.1971) combines memories and imagination in bringing to life work that focuses on travel and discovery. Using distorted shapes and bright colours to provide a caricature-like representation of a city’s energy, the artist repeats basic elements which create a simpler, more direct image, compelling the viewer to complete the image with their own visions rather than focusing on a particular area. The result is work that combines both the artist’s contribution and the viewer’s perspective. Lietti studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan.
Masayuki Tsubota, Japan – Yamaki Art Gallery (Japan)
Sculptor Masayuki Tsubota (b.1976) believes in a reality that is beyond the conscious perception of the human senses, in an innate connection with nature, bound by memories that have slowly eroded. He hopes to reignite these recollections through colour. For the artist, colours vibrate, producing sounds and evoking emotions that are often impossible to express through words. His polished and meticulously engraved sculptures allow colour to move and flow, reawakening memories that lie within. Tsubota has exhibited throughout Japan, and in China, South Korea and Spain.
TALKS, TOURS & SPECIAL EVENTS
COMPLIMENTARY ART TOURS FOR ADULTS:
Singapore Contemporary’s program of complimentary Art Tours continues the journey of artistic discovery with its series of highly informative tours. Covering a variety of art-related subjects and geographical regions, topics will include Hidden China, Japan and Korea Revealed, The Art of Southeast Asia and more. Expert docents will delve deeper into the artworks on show, providing context and background, and engaging seasoned and young collectors in a conversation about the greater contemporary art ecology. The complete program is contained in the company Fact Sheet available here. For further information on the selection of approved artists, please click here.
COMPLIMENTARY YOUTH PROGRAMS:
Singapore Contemporary welcomes the next generation of artists and art enthusiasts with a series of programs that, we hope, will begin of a life-long love of art! The Macey & Sons Kids Art Tours, partnering with Little Artists, will guide curious young minds on a journey of artistic exploration, taking in a variety of artists, styles and media.
After the tour, kids can get to work on producing their own masterpieces at the Macey & Sons Kids Art Studio, partnering with Little Artists. Under the supervision of experienced art teachers, kids will get the opportunity to paint, draw or collage artworks that they can either display at the show or take back home. Acclaimed Italian artist Francesco Lietti, will join in the fun, and help to coach and guide children in bringing out the little artists within. Lasting an hour, parents can either join in or leave their children while they explore the rest of the show.
THE SOVEREIGN ART CHARITY STUDENTS PRIZE, SINGAPORE 2017
Singapore Contemporary is proud to host The Sovereign Art Charity Students Prize, which aims to highlight artistic talent in Singapore, while underscoring the importance of art in education. Visitors are invited to view the shortlisted and winning works by students from local secondary schools and art institutions, and to vote for their favourite at the display in the entrance area.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND SINGAPORE CONTEMPORARY
FOUNDERS: The Founders and Directors of Singapore Contemporary are three art enthusiasts with more than 25 years’ experience in the region, Douwe Cramer, Mark Saunderson and Sarah Benecke. Viewed as pioneers in the art space, they consider the interest of artists, galleries and buyers are best served by providing vibrant fairs and online content which stimulate discovery, exploration and conversations about art. The popular Asia Contemporary Art Show, in its 10th edition in Spring 2017, is Hong Kong’s only art fair that takes place twice a year.
ADVISORY BOARD: The Show is guided by an Advisory Board that helps to guide the direction of the show as well as providing insights into the character of the art and artists, collector and buyer engagement and advice on the genres that are preferred by Singaporean and Southeast Asian collectors. Comprised of six influential leaders in Singapore’s art ecology, T.K Quek, Kwok Kianchow, Michael Lee, Chiara Rosenblum, Jackson See and Jason Wee, the assistance of the Advisory Board is crucial in producing a very engaging and successful show.
ASIA CONTEMPORARY ART BUYER: The Founders of Singapore Contemporary also produce Asia’s leading art website, Asia Contemporary Art Buyer . The site features over 12,000 artworks from 2,000 artists. Asia Contemporary Art Buyer extends the value of Singapore Contemporary for both buyers and sellers of art, from an exciting four-day Show with face-to-face engagement with artists and galleries, to 365 days a year and 24/7 online for personal browsing and buying.
MACEY & SONS AUCTIONEERS AND VALUERS – Principal sponsors, Macey & Sons, bring a wealth of experience specialising in valuations of fine art, classic watches and clocks, jewellery and fine porcelain. Founded by Jonathan Macey, an auctioneering and finance industry specialist with 25 years’ experience, Macey and Sons provide a unique suite of services that include careful selection of artwork for investment and investment strategies, portfolio building, valuation and investment exit strategies. Macey & Sons opened its expanded private gallery to accommodate public auctions, as well as hosted its first auction, in September 2016.
SINGAPORE CONTEMPORARY | JANUARY 19 – 22, 2017
SUNTEC SINGAPORE CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE
PRIVATE VIEW – BY INVITATION ONLY
Thursday January 19 – 3:30pm to 5:30pm
VERNISSAGE – BY INVITATION ONLY
Thursday January 19 – 5:30pm to 9pm
CÉ LA VI ART NIGHT
Friday January 20, 5.30pm – 9pm
And the party continues from 10pm with the official After Party at CÉ LA VI
GENERAL ADMISSION:
Friday January 20 – 12pm to 9pm
Saturday January 21 – 11am to 7pm
Sunday January 22 – 11am to 6pm
TICKETS:
Tickets for Singapore Contemporary will be available starting from 24 November 2016 at
www.singaporecontemporary.com or www.sistic.com.sg
S$25 for 1 Day Pass – (bring a friend for free for tickets purchased before the show)
S$48 for 3 Day Pass – (bring a friend for free for tickets purchased before the show)
LATEST INFORMATION:
Website: www.singaporecontemporary.com
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/singapore.contemporary.art.show
Instagram: @singapore.contemporary
Twitter: sg_contemporary
