ART SG 2023

I couldn't be more pleased to spend an afternoon at ART SG. It was billed as "Southeast Asia's largest art fair", and it didn't disappoint. Spanning two floors, there were many many galleries from all over the region, and the global cities were well-represented, along with their stable of artists. Contemporary art, mainly, of course. Many pieces looked great in the lobbies of buildings or if your house has a spacious foyer and plenty of wall space. 

Unfortunately the purchase of art is one of those things that I've decided not to adopt. I don't want the accompanying baggage of the social circle or the houses/apartments used to display these pieces. It's a lifestyle and way of living that I don't want. Neither do I want to be a secret collector/investor and squirrel them away in storage rooms and let them go at the right prices. I'll simply be part of an audience, and study a little more about an artist if I should like his/her vision, creative vibes and final creations. Purely theoretical.

I skipped the VIP Preview evening because, well, I wasn't keen to see acquaintances and I didn't want to schmooze. I needed to spend some time with the dog that night because she went to play school all day. I was glad that J asked if I wanted to join her in the day for a browse at the fair. That would be awesome. It was a chance to see her, have a chat and look through lovely artworks together. The afternoon wasn't as crowded as the preview night, and there was plenty of space to browse and stroll. It was also ME-TIME. Yay!

The contemporary artworks held a wide spectrum of medium, genre and methodology. It was a feast for the eyes and such a treat for the senses. There're illustrations, digital art, ink paintings, sculptures, installations, et cetera. We have Yayoi Kusama's big-ish 'Flowers That Bloom Now' (2017) in stainless steel and urethane paint, as well as Takashi Murakami's large 'Flower Parent and Child' (2022) in fibreglass reinforced plastic.

Giggled so hard at Eslite Gallery's prominent push of BenRei Huang (黃本蕊). This is my first view of her work. She worked primarily as a children's book illustrator before turning to creating paintings and 3D work. She has chosen to incorporate the bunny NiNi in all her works. Her rabbits might just be the runaway hit of the whole fair. They're ridiculously cute, decently priced, and many pieces have been sold. 

Leiko Ikemura's corner. 

I didn't actually go through the list of exhibiting galleries or artists. While I might have heard of them, I wouldn't know their works in detail unless I like them. I only took a quick glance at the list; I wanted to be surprised. I found a few new artists whose works I would go read up more about and be familiar with them. I'm less keen on sculptures, 3D pieces and installations. I could easily knock those over. LOL I very much prefer paintings or illustrations. Things on the wall tend to be out of my way and can be protected from my clumsiness. 

I really liked Leiko Ikemura and I was soooo happy to stumble upon her works at the fair and lingered a little to admire them. I was rather taken with Yuichi Hirako's pieces at the fair. I'm fascinated with his concepts — plants for heads, and the overflowing flora in interiors, asking audiences to reconsider our relationships with nature. Well, I also really like the black cats in his paintings. 

I was very disciplined. I only had ONE glass of champagne. Ruinart was the official brand, and its blanc de blancs held court. (Although I couldn't help grinning at 'Ruin-art'. Come on, all of us thought it. 🫠) I was so pleased that J invited me out. Otherwise I'd have totally given this a miss, and it would have been such a loss because art is balm to my soul. I'm inspired by art in so many different ways. The afternoon was much much needed.