ART STAGE SINGAPORE 2017

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 sociopolitical issues of the day.

“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.