After three successful runs, the Singapore edition of the Art Apart Fair returns from 18 to 20 July this year. Held once again at Parkroyal on Pickering hotel, the contemporary art fair will shine the spotlight on Eastern Europe. Visitors can get acquainted with emerging artists from countries including Russia, Ukraine and Serbia, such as Roman Antonov, Pavel Antipov, Tatiana Lysak-Polischuk, Antonia Zhadina, Vladimir Kolesnicov, Lily Balasanova, Sergey Kolevatich, Naja Maljevic and Oleg Lazarenko (Gallery 11.12, Gaze Gallery and Vinci Arts Gallery). “We showcased three Russian artists – Roman Antonov, Pavel Antipov and Tatiana Lysak-Polischuk – at the third edition of Art Apart Fair – Singapore and their works were exceptionally well-received. That’s why I thought I should give them greater prominence at the upcoming fair,” explains Rosalind Lim, founder and director of Art Apart. Respected for the vast intellectual content in their pieces that are deep in meaning and highly emotive, artists from Eastern Europe are increasingly sought after by collectors. And while their predecessors favoured oil as the main medium, the contemporary artists of today prefer a different route, for instance mixing acrylic with oil and using oil pencils.
To provide a more complete understanding of, and immersion into, Eastern European culture, the fair will also play host to Russian musician Dr. Iryna Vokhmyanina, who will stage a piano performance with her daughter Kfeniia, accompanied by vocalist Anna Ivanenko. Visitors can expect music by composers the likes of Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky, while nibbling on canapés and sipping beverages from Singapore’s only Russian restaurant, Buyan.
Marking another first for Art Apart Fair – Singapore is the generous contribution of Dr. Stanley Quek as a patron of the arts. The general practitioner-turned-propertymagnate is sponsoring artists to create works for the fair. Half of the proceeds from their sale will go to charity, while the other half will go back to the artist. “I’ve been an avid collector of contemporary art since the mid-1970s – I enjoy admiring the skill of the artist to recreate the aesthetic in their mind’s eye. At the same time, I am aware that there are many out there who, while filled with potential, are struggling to succeed financially. My decision to contribute to the Art Apart Fair is spurred by this reality. I hope to help them build a sustainable foundation and, at the same time, help the underprivileged in our society,” says Dr Quek.
In total, Art Apart Fair – Singapore will see the participation of 23 galleries from around the world including Utterly Art, Barnabas Huang Gallery, Art & Tapestry and Orient Painting from Singapore., Craft 21 from Korea and Art Exposition by Gaps from the Philippines. Expect to see more than 2,000 artworks from more than 200 emerging and mid-career artists, spread out across rooms on level 14 of Parkroyal on Pickering hotel.
