The exposure of Art SG 2025, running from January 17 to 19, has been well-perceived by culture enthusiasts, making it one of the most prized events to take place recently. From showcasing the capabilities of women artists to monetize their art to publicly displaying Raden Saleh’s Javanese Landscape: View of Merbabu and Merapi after a century, the third edition of Art SG had plenty to offer, both in terms of creativity and the art market.
Witnessing a foothold of over 41,000 visitors, down from 45,300 in 2024, the event didn’t conclude with discontent but on the contrary, was a sigh of relief, with most galleries hailing it for its “tremendous success.” Young Jin Yee, Co-Head of UBS Global Wealth Management Asia Pacific and Country Head of UBS Singapore, said,
“This year’s ART SG reaffirms its role as a vital platform for contemporary art in Singapore and Southeast Asia, bringing together a dynamic and diverse community from the region and beyond.”
When looking at the statistics of the participants and attendees, the event featured 105 Galleries from 30 countries. More young art makers and collectors were to be found with the former even seeing “multiple pieces snapped up” from them. Important highlights from these participants concluded that the audience was well-informed and took a deeper interest in engaging with the artist. Waddington Custot’s Senior Director, Jacob Twyford said,
“ART SG opened with enthusiasm and engagement; the art audience are here to look, to discover, to discuss and to collect. The ART SG team did a beautiful job with large crowds and a fair which is spacious and elegant. It is a really great environment to show and to admire some beautiful art from around the world.”
Extending beyond the picturesque or sculptural form of art, the event presented a dynamic FILM program and showcased pioneering film, video, and moving image artists, presenting an “interplay between historical legacy and visionary imagination” to understand the artists’ philosophy in learning from the past and reshaping the future. To entertain intellect, ART SG PERSPECTIVES offered “thought-provoking panels” and held discussions and lectures to explore the “stimulating and contemporary themes, and spotlight art” from Singapore and Southeast Asia.
Speaking of the sales figures, the works of prominent artists were placed in valuable private and institutional collections. Led by Cardi Gallery, a Pablo Picasso, Buste d’Homme à la pipe (1969), fetched USD 1,200,000. At the same time, White Cube Gallery attained impressive numbers, Wendy Xu, Managing Director of the latter, shared,
“We are delighted to return to ART SG for the third consecutive year, a truly invaluable platform that enables us to engage with both our loyal collectors and new art enthusiasts across the Southeast Asia region. This year’s fair has been a tremendous success, highlighted by significant sales, including key works such as Georg Baselitz, which sold for EUR 650,000, Antony Gormley at GBP 500,000, and Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, which achieved a sale of USD 350,000.”
Collectors from Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Hong Kong, and Mainland China were seen active as well, among the individuals from other countries.
HOFA, which participated for the first time, said,
“This is our first time showing at the fair and we are very happily surprised about the sales we have done and as well as the amount of collectors interested in the artists that we brought.”
One of the first events to set standards so tall, Art SG 2025 was a bewitching event that captured the role of Singapore in the art market and how collectors as well as art makers are observing their roles today. With a hearty bid to this year’s event, the organizers threw their spear for the next edition, announcing it to be held on January 23 to 25, 2026.
Featured Image: Mella Jaarsma’s PLATFORM installation-performance, Surat Terakhir/Last Letter (2014); @art.sg, via Instagram.
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