However, the gallerists here did not give up. When the scene kicked into high gear a few years later, AGAS launched Art in Motion. Running annually from 2014 to 2016, it saw AGAS member galleries hosting various events during Singapore Art Week. “We wanted to bring collectors, museum professionals, artists and gallerists together,” says Emi Eu, executive director of STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery, which promotes artistic experimentation in the mediums of print and paper. STPI is a member of AGAS, and Emi was variously AGAS’ vice president and president from 2012 to 2018. “It’s much more effective to do these things as a group of galleries. We could pool more resources, present diverse artists and works, and attract more collectors and visitors.”

Meanwhile, certified accountant-turned-gallerist Audrey Yeo had also been very busy over at Gillman Barracks, where she launched Yeo Workshop in 2013. “I wanted to show quite experimental and cutting-edge work, and I quickly realised that without more education about contemporary art, this type of art would not be accessible for a lot of people,” she says.

In response, Audrey launched Arnoldii Arts Club, a members-only association that provided exclusive access to courses, events and specialist lectures about art history, art production, and the art market. She also spearheaded the Singapore Arts Club, a public art project in Gillman Barracks that included both arts and lifestyle events.

Eye On The Region

This year, Emi and Audrey are helming S.E.A. Focus, which is under the STPI umbrella and builds on their previous efforts to galvanise the local art scene. Emi, who is of Korean descent, joined STPI in 2001, helping to hone its unique niche in artist collaborations that make innovative use of print and paper techniques. Under her leadership, STPI became the first Singapore gallery to take part in the prestigious Art Basel in 2013, making it the only homegrown one that has been accepted for all three editions of the Art Basel fairs (the other two being Miami Beach and Hong Kong). She is also a long-standing member of Art Basel Hong Kong’s Selection Committee.

“With so many art events internationally, you need to put out something that is genuine in order to be noticed,” she believes. S.E.A. Focus may be a boutique art fair this year, but it could take on other formats in subsequent editions. The point is, this initiative is not in competition with big fairs such as Art Stage Singapore or ART SG, Emi stresses. “We just want to fill a gap.” And what’s missing at the moment is a solid platform for galleries that focus on Southeast Asian art.

“It’s about consistency. If the art fairs are not doing well, the galleries are not doing well, since they are the fairs’ clients,” Emi points out. “Art Basel has been consistently growing in a positive direction for many decades, and that’s something we aspire to, but in our own way. We want to put out something that piques some interest for everyone. We want to engage with the community, contribute to building scholarships for museum professionals, and bring in curators from abroad. It will be a learning process for everyone.”

(Related: Beyond Art Basel: 5 Must-See Museums In Miami)

Audrey, who has suspended her gallery to serve as the project director of S.E.A. Focus, ran London’s Galerie 8 before moving back home to Singapore, and is similarly passionate about helping to nurture a wider audience for local and regional art. “Galleries are the interface between the public and art. On a day-to-day basis, we are already connecting audiences to art, with our education programmes and events. On this larger scale, if we all work together, we can make a very genuine effort to extend what we already do and connect even more people to art.”
 
In that spirit, S.E.A. Focus will also feature components such as #SEAcommunity, where young families, school groups and children can engage first-hand with arts professionals; and #SEAspotlight, a series of talks by collectors, gallerists, curators and artists. Also, look out for fun lifestyle elements such as food and music at its art events, to help draw in those who may never have attended one before. “I think it’s really important to try and reach out to a younger generation,” says Audrey. “It helps to build a more holistic community when they are looking at and appreciating the work created by artists of their own generation.”

Keeping The Faith

For S.E.A. Focus’ participating galleries, Southeast Asia remains full of promise. “This is an important art region and there is no other fair really giving it the attention it deserves. So there was no question that we wanted to be involved,” says Ursula Sullivan, co-director of Australia-based Sullivan+Strumpf. Vera Ong, who heads Singapore’s Art-2 Gallery, shares: “I feel that this fair relates well with Art-2’s speciality, as the artists we have represented for the past 27 years have always been primarily from Singapore and Southeast Asia.”
 
S.E.A. Focus is also supported by the National Arts Council, Economic Development Board and the Singapore Tourism Board. “They appreciate the fact that this is a homegrown initiative and I hope it’s something we can continue to put up,” says Emi.

Having first come to Singapore in 1996, and helped STPI evolve from an unlikely experiment into an internationally respected institution, she has perhaps a more patient view of the city-state’s art ambitions. The arts infrastructure and creative offerings today are a vast change from what was available here 20 years ago, she points out. “The government has put in so much effort. I have not seen anything like this in any other country. We have everything we need to make an art ecosystem that works well. We just have to pave the road better, and connect galleries, artists, collectors and the private sector in the way that they should be. The art market is changing very quickly, and we have to be nimble, believe in what we do, and put together the best content. If this first edition is successful, that will give us a foundation from which to forge ahead.” 

This story was first published in Singapore Tatler January 2019.