Art Stage Singapore opens its seventh edition from 12 to 15 January 2017 (Vernissage on 11 January) at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre. Art Stage Singapore plays a key role in the eco-system of contemporary art in Singapore and Southeast Asia, not only in developing and bridging individual regional art markets, but also in creating a forum for the exchange of ideas that are critical to understanding the economic and socio-political issues of the day.

Tayeba Begum Lipi, Comfy Bikinis, 2013, brass safety pins covered with electroless nickel immersion gold, stainless steel and glass, 14.2 x 35.8 x 48 inches/36.1 x 90.9 x 121.9 cm

“We have to realise that we are living in dramatically changing times. The world economy is in crisis, politics is in crisis, society is in crisis and all this is clearly affecting the art market. This means we can no longer sell art based only on price. We have to be clear that art can no longer be seen as mere merchandise or commodity. We have to look at art for what it really is. In essence, it is a piece of culture. Everyone in the art market – art dealers, galleries, even the artists and especially the art fair – will need to reflect on what that means for them. They have to react and go in new directions and cannot continue as they did in the past. For Art Stage Singapore, it means very clearly that we have to focus even more on content and to show art in context,” says Lorenzo Rudolf, Founder and President, Art Stage Singapore.

Against this backdrop, Art Stage Singapore sets its course in this new direction with in-depth content offerings through the Southeast Asian Forum exhibition and lecture series, which was initiated last year, and the Collectors’ Stage exhibition. This will position the Fair beyond a market platform. Art Stage Singapore also understands the importance of developing a cohesive Southeast Asian art market to enable the region as a whole to be more competitive vis-à-vis the other more developed global art markets in the West and China.

Robert Zhao, Deer Park, 84 x 121 cm, archival pigment print, edition of 5 + 1 AP, 2016_Image courtesy of Mizuma

Southeast Asia Forum

Art Stage Singapore 2017 will present the second Southeast Asia Forum, a thematic programme, comprising an exhibition and a series of lectures that offer more focused and deeper views into global issues that have direct impact on Southeast Asia. The second Southeast Asia Forum will focus on the theme of capitalism and is titled Net Present Value: Art, Capital, Futures.

‘Net Present Value’ is a method commonly used to forecast future value, expressed in today’s terms. The second Southeast Asia Forum seeks to explore the values of art, imagination and progress, and, the price of doing business as usual in the global capitalist system. It examines relationships between money, ideals and some of the fault lines in the present financial age, including the Forum’s immediate sphere of influence – the art market and the value of art.

The Forum’s exhibition surveys impacts of economic development on cultures, beliefs, social relations and daily life in Southeast Asia as countries race to establish their place in the league of global economies. Through the works of socially engaged artists, many from the region, the exhibition emphasises the importance of cultivating alternative forms of capital and conditions for the evolution of societies in an increasingly complex global environment.

The Forum’s series of lectures and panel discussions will bring together economists, business leaders, policy makers and the art community to examine, through different perspectives, challenges relating to social inequality arising from the global capitalist system. In creating encounters between thinkers, actors and influencers, the Forum seeks to bring about more inter-disciplinary understanding and collaboration in re-imagining conditions and ideals for social inclusion in the 21st-century global society. Speakers for the lecture series are being confirmed.

Kent Chan, If Not, Accelerate, Installation, text neon, two-channel HD video, colour, sound, 37’42, dimensions variable, 2016, Image courtesy of the artist and Grey Projects

Singapore’s Kent Chan presents his project If Not, Accelerate a project that examines the issues of migrant labour in Singapore through the matrix of the polis, the Greek word for ‘city’. The etymological root of the words ‘police’, ‘policy’ and ‘polity’, the polis as the de facto site of politics and its many entanglements, provides the conceptual linkages to excavate the historic and contemporary links between Singapore and its large migrant labour population. Through an assemblage of videos, text and sculpture that problematise the representation of migrant labour, this project unravels a city, its socio-economic politics, anxiety and trajectory.

Ivan Lam, Vending Art

Ivan Lam’s Vending Art is a project that seeks to trigger questions and reflections on the commodification and consumption of art, the definition of ‘art’ and ‘artist’, the value of an artwork and of an artist, the changing dynamic and relationships between artists, galleries, art fairs and buyers.

The Collectors’ Show

Art Stage Singapore 2017 presents for the first time in Singapore the Collectors’ Show, featuring artworks from the collections of six leading Singapore based collectors. The six Singapore-based collectors will open up their private collections for a selection of artworks to be featured in an exhibition progamme at the Fair. Read more about The Collectors’ Show

Joseph Balestier Award for the Freedom of Art

Together with the U.S Embassy Singapore, Art Stage Singapore will once again present the Joseph Balestier Award for the Freedom of Art in conjunction with the Fair. The Award recognises an artist or curator from Southeast Asia who is actively committed to the ideals of liberty and freedom of expression, and through his or her work, continually seeks to express these ideals. The winner will be awarded a cash prize of USD $15,000.

Date: 12 – 15 January 2017
Opening Hours: 12 January 2017, Thursday 12PM – 8PM
13 January 2017, Friday 12PM – 8PM
14 January 2017, Saturday 12PM – 8PM
15 January 2017, Sunday 11AM – 6PM
Venue: Marina Bay Sands, Sands Expo & Convention Centre
Address: 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956