Singapore's Art SG fair featured a new pavilion called South Asian Insights, backed by India's TVS Motor Company, showcasing contemporary art from South Asia. The pavilion, which included eight galleries and featured a tapestry by Raqib Shaw sold to a Japanese collector, was crowded and highlighted the rising market for South Asian art.
Heartware Store & Gallery in Singapore's Joo Chiat neighborhood is hosting a pop-up exhibition titled 'Ikuiku Love Hotel,' a collaboration with Taiwanese artist Ikuiku. The show transforms the space into a love hotel-themed environment, complete with a reception counter, mock hotel room, and bathroom set, all featuring the artist's vibrant, character-driven artworks that explore themes of sexuality and intimacy with playful, cheeky humor.
The Asia-Pacific art scene saw significant activity across multiple sectors. Art SG reported increased attendance and sales, while the SAM Art SG Fund acquired works for the Singapore Art Museum. JD.com announced plans for a major new museum in Shenzhen, and several appointments and award winners were named across the region. Auction houses Bonhams Hong Kong and Sotheby's Singapore posted strong sales results, with the latter setting new artist records.
Sotheby’s held its annual modern and contemporary art sale in Singapore on Sunday, achieving $13.1 million across 62 lots with a 94% sell-through rate. The top lot was Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur de Merpres’s *Weavers* (1953) at $1.2 million, followed by Takashi Murakami’s *Blue Signals* (2017) at $1.06 million. New artist records were set for Pacita Abad, whose *Assaulting the eye with Ecstasy* (1984) sold for $389,400, and Singaporean artist Anthony Poon, whose *Colour Waves* (1986) fetched $129,800. Bidders came from Southeast Asia, the US, the UAE, Europe, South Korea, Japan, India, and China.
The Brooklyn Museum will present the North American debut of "Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses" on May 16, 2026, timed with the annual Brooklyn Artists Ball where Van Herpen will be honored. The exhibition features over 140 haute couture creations alongside contemporary art, design pieces, and scientific artifacts, exploring the designer's fusion of craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology, sustainability, and natural phenomena. Previously shown at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, QAGOMA, ArtScience Museum Singapore, and Kunsthal Rotterdam, the show is curated by Cloé Pitiot and Louise Curtis, with the Brooklyn Museum presentation organized by Matthew Yokobosky and Imani Williford.
The National Labor Relations Board has accused Snøhetta, a prominent New York-based architecture firm, of illegally firing eight employees who supported a 2023 unionization campaign. The NLRB complaint alleges that managers tracked union supporters and improperly questioned staff about their sympathies, while Snøhetta denies the claims, attributing layoffs to business pressures predating the union drive. Separately, Singapore Art Week is spotlighting women artists from Southeast Asia, with the launch of Krystina Lyon's book "You Are Seen" and the National Gallery Singapore exhibition "Fear No Power: Women Imagining Otherwise." Other news includes the death of Artforum founding editor Philip Leider at 96, LANZA chosen for the Serpentine Pavilion, and a Louvre heist caught on newly released footage.
Art SG 2026, a major art fair in Singapore, has been announced, bringing together leading international galleries, artists, and collectors in the region. The event showcases contemporary art from Asia and beyond, featuring a curated selection of galleries and special exhibitions.
Singapore is solidifying its position as a central hub for Southeast Asian art, supported by government initiatives, established institutions like the National Gallery Singapore and Singapore Art Museum, and major events such as Art SG, the Singapore Biennale, and Singapore Art Week. While other regional hubs like Jakarta, Bangkok, and Manila are growing, Singapore uniquely fosters a pan-Southeast Asian focus, attracting collectors and artists from across the region. However, recent closures of smaller independent spaces like Sàn Art in Saigon and Your Mother Gallery in Singapore, along with the absorption of S.E.A. Focus into Art SG, have impacted the independent scene, though new venues such as Bangkok Kunst-halle and Vũ Dân Tân Museum offer fresh opportunities.
The article highlights five standout works at Art SG, the Singapore art fair. Featured artists include Pinaree Sanpitak, whose hand-blown glass sculpture *Stacked Offering I* (2024-25) continues her exploration of breasts as metaphors for womanhood and spirituality; Jakkai Siributr, whose textile work *CG20* (2023) repurposes discarded uniforms from Thailand's struggling tourism workers into a tapestry of healing; Citra Sasmita, whose installation *Timur Merah Project XI: Bedtime Story* (2023-24) centers female protagonists in Balinese mythological scrolls; and Ayesha Singh, whose wall reliefs from the *Evolution* series trace Indian architectural motifs. Prices range from around $5,000 to $40,000, with works shown by galleries including Ames Yavuz, Flowers Gallery, Yeo Workshop, and Nature Morte.
Singapore Art Week features five notable exhibitions, including a retrospective of Basoeki Abdullah at the National Gallery Singapore, which explores his role as a high-society painter and cultural diplomat during his time in Singapore from 1958 to 1960. Other highlights include STPI's The Print Show, a new platform for printmaking featuring 27 artists and international publishers, and a collaborative project between Rockbund Art Museum and Art SG titled Wan Hai Hotel: Singapore Strait, which presents maritime-themed works by artists across Asia.
The eighth edition of the Singapore Biennale, titled "Pure Intention," opens across five neighborhoods in Singapore, embedding over 100 artworks in sites ranging from shopping malls and housing estates to colonial-era buildings and parks. Curated by Selene Yap, Hsu Fang-Tze, Ong Puay Khim, and Duncan Bass, the biennale features works like field-0's "Drifting Bodies" (2025), which critiques Singapore's hydropower imports and their impact on Thailand's indigenous Karen hill tribe, and Allora & Calzadilla's "Under Discussion" (2004), exploring sovereignty and displacement. Organized by the Singapore Art Museum and commissioned by the National Arts Council, the event is part of SG60, Singapore's 60th anniversary celebrations.
Singapore Art Week (SAW) this year spotlights women artists from Southeast Asia through multiple initiatives, including the release of the book *You Are Seen: Women’s Contemporary Art Practice in Southeast Asia* and the exhibition *Fear No Power: Women Imagining Otherwise* at the National Gallery Singapore (NGS). The book, published by Yeo Workshop, and the exhibition, featuring five trailblazing artists such as Amanda Heng and Imelda Cajipe-Endaya, reflect a concerted push to elevate female voices in the region. Audrey Yeo, president of the Art Galleries Association Singapore (AGAS), calls it a “big women’s moment,” while collector and author Krystina Lyon notes the varied challenges women artists face across Southeast Asia, from censorship to conservative social norms.
The article, published by Vogue Singapore, promotes a Sotheby's auction event focused on female artists from Southeast Asia and beyond. It highlights the opportunity to acquire works by these artists at their finest, suggesting a curated selection that emphasizes the region's artistic talent. The piece appears to be a promotional feature tied to a specific Sotheby's sale, likely timed to coincide with art market trends or a dedicated auction series.
Sotheby’s is holding its Modern and Contemporary Art auction during Singapore Art Week, featuring rare works that have not been publicly available for decades. Highlights include Walter Spies’s *Die Schlittschuhlaufer (The Ice Skaters)*, estimated at $980,000–$1.8 million, and Raden Saleh’s *The Eruption of Mount Merapi, by day*, appearing at auction for the first time after being held in a private European collection for over a century. Other notable lots include works by Pacita Abad, Marc Chagall, Zao Wou-ki, Mai Trung Thu, and David Hockney. Public exhibition runs January 22–25 at The Singapore Edition, with the live auction on January 25.
Sotheby’s will hold a Modern and Contemporary Art auction on 25 January during Singapore Art Week (SAW) 2026 at The Edition Singapore. The sale features rare works by early Southeast Asian masters, including Walter Spies’ "Die Schlittschuhläufer (The Ice Skaters)" (1922) and Raden Saleh’s "The Eruption of Mount Merapi, by Day" (1865), alongside Vietnamese silk paintings by Le Pho and Mai Trung Thu, and a David Hockney piece. The auction highlights a 60% rise in new bidders from Southeast Asia since 2022.
This edition of State of Play, part of Artnet Pro's The Asia Pivot newsletter, reports on multiple developments across Asia's art scene. Highlights include the launch of Art Fairs Pavilion Taipei, a new alternative art fair co-founded by Hong Kong dealers Willem Molesworth and Ysabelle Cheung, with 13 galleries for its inaugural edition. Galleries Antenna Space and Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery are expanding into Hong Kong and Singapore respectively, while veteran Beijing gallery Long March Space has closed its physical venue. The Taipei Fine Arts Museum announced Taiwan's collateral exhibition at the Venice Biennale, and the Hong Kong Museum of Art named artists for its collateral show. The Asia Society Museum in New York will open a 70th-anniversary exhibition, and the H+ Museum in Suzhou, designed by Tadao Ando, officially opened with two inaugural shows.
Heartware Store & Gallery in Singapore has been transformed into a love hotel for a NSFW art exhibition by Taiwanese artist Ikuiku, titled 'Ikuiku Love Hotel.' Running from January 24 to March 15, 2026, the solo show pairs cute, seemingly innocent illustrations with sexual humor, featuring risograph prints, a new zine debut, and themed merchandise such as hotel keychains, towels, memo pads, and a condom blind box. The opening weekend includes an invite-only preview, live portrait drawing, and an artist talk.
Artnet Pro's 'The Asia Pivot' newsletter previews the 2026 Asian art market, highlighting a hopeful recovery after signs of improvement in late 2025. Key events include Art SG in Singapore (hosting S.E.A. Focus for the first time), the inaugural Art Basel Qatar in February, and Art Basel Hong Kong in March. Auction houses will align spring sales with these fairs. The article also notes regional shifts: South Korea's Art Asia partners with KINTEX for a new fair in India, Hong Kong's Kwai Fung Hin opens in Singapore, and Shanghai's Antenna Space expands to Hong Kong. Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets with artist Takashi Murakami to promote culture abroad, while geopolitical tensions with China threaten cultural exchanges.
STPI is launching the inaugural Print Show and Symposium Singapore during Singapore Art Week (January 22–31, 2026). The event will feature over 27 internationally acclaimed contemporary artists—including Jeff Koons, Louise Bourgeois, Takashi Murakami, and Do Ho Suh—showcasing their engagement with printmaking. A symposium titled "The Politics of Print: elephant in the room," curated by Stephanie Bailey, will bring together 25 curators, museum directors, and artists such as Michael Craig-Martin, Adele Tan, Sook-Kyung Lee, and Pinaree Sanpitak for six panels over two days.
Sotheby's is holding a major auction in Singapore on January 25, featuring works by Indonesian Romantic painter Raden Saleh, German painter Walter Spies, and British artist David Hockney, among others. The auction includes Raden Saleh's 'The Eruption Of Mount Merapi, By Day' (1865), expected to fetch between $700,000 and $1.3 million, and Walter Spies' 'Die Schlittschuhlaufer (The Ice Skaters)' (1922), estimated at $980,000 to $1.8 million. Concurrently, the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) is presenting 'Nafasan Bumi – An Endless Harvest' from January 16 to May 31, featuring Indonesian artists Elia Nurvista and Bagus Pandega, whose works use nickel and palm materials to explore the environmental and social impacts of Indonesia's palm oil and nickel industries.
Singapore Art Week 2026 transforms the Lion City into a stage for contemporary creativity, featuring a packed programme of exhibitions, auctions, and symposia from January through March. Key events include Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Art auction (21–24 January) spotlighting works by Walter Spies, Raden Saleh, David Hockney, and Takashi Murakami; the Tanoto Art Foundation’s first exhibition 'Rituals of Perception' at New Bahru School Hall (21 January–1 March); the inaugural Print Show & Symposium at STPI (22–31 January) with artists like Yayoi Kusama and Jeff Koons; and Loy Contemporary Art Gallery’s 'Mosaic SG' showcasing contemporary Italian artists under the patronage of the Embassy of Italy in Singapore.
Art SG 2026, the fourth edition of Singapore's annual art fair, will take place from January 22 to 25 at Marina Bay Sands, featuring over 100 galleries from more than 30 countries. Fair director Shuyin Yang has introduced several new initiatives, including the Wan Hai Hotel project by Shanghai's Rockbund Art Museum, a South Asian art platform sponsored by TVS Motor, and the integration of S.E.A. Focus into Art SG. Notable guests include the Tate patrons group, curators from Palais de Tokyo and LUMA Arles, and LACMA director Michael Govan, who will launch the museum's Southeast Asia acquisition program.
ART SG, Southeast Asia's leading contemporary art fair, returns to the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands from 23–25 January 2026, with previews on 22 January. The fair features three core sectors—Galleries, Focus, and Futures—and for the first time co-presents S.E.A. Focus, curated by John Z.W. Tung with artistic consultation by Emi Eu, themed 'The Humane Agency'. Highlights include Melati Suryodarmo's performance 'I Love You' (2007) from the UBS Art Collection, presented in the UBS Art Studio, with a re-performance and artist talk. Singapore Art Week runs concurrently from 22–31 January 2026, offering exhibitions, installations, and performances across the city, including a collaboration between Rockbund Art Museum and ART SG at The Warehouse Hotel.
Sotheby’s resumed Modern & Contemporary Art auctions in Singapore in 2022 after a 15-year hiatus, signaling renewed confidence in the region. In an interview, Jasmine Prasetio, Managing Director for Southeast Asia at Sotheby’s, discusses how Singaporean and Singapore-based collectors are increasingly active in both local and global sales, actively bidding on and acquiring works by Singaporean artists such as Georgette Chen, Kim Lim, and Jane Lee. Notable auction results include Georgette Chen’s “Lychees and Peaches” achieving $1.5 million in July 2023 and Jane Lee’s “Melt VII” selling for $140,877.
A striking turtle-shaped art gallery, the Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery, has opened over the sea in Penang, Malaysia. Designed by Singaporean artist Lin Xiang Xiong, the eight-storey over-water museum at The Light Waterfront is the world's first of its kind, currently in its soft-opening phase. It houses four permanent galleries tracing Lin's six-decade career, plus a special exhibition titled "Picasso and Lin Xiang Xiong: A Dialogue Across Time" that pairs works by Pablo Picasso with Lin's own. The space also includes an Art Seed Garden for education and hosts international exhibitions and forums focused on peace and cross-cultural exchange.
The Financial Times reports that half of non-bank lenders offering loans against artworks experienced defaults in 2024, up from 17% two years earlier, according to the Art and Finance Report 2025 by Deloitte Private and ArtTactic. The art market has shrunk 12% to $57.5 billion since 2022, dragging down collateral values and triggering margin calls. Meanwhile, Australia's social media ban for under-16s raises questions for museums, with the Art Gallery of New South Wales noting minimal impact but the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia more reliant on youth engagement. Other news includes Vanessa Horabuena's speed-painted Jesus sold for $2.75 million at Mar-a-Lago, the cancellation of NFT Paris and RWA Paris 2026, and a critical column calling for the end of the Singapore Biennial.
Singapore Art Week (SAW) 2026 showcases the city-state's multifaceted identity through a diverse range of artistic offerings. Highlights include the second iteration of Wan Hai Hotel, adapted from Shanghai's Rockbund Art Museum, which explores themes of water, migration, and diaspora with artists like Ho Tzu Nyen, Dawn Ng, and Robert Zhao Renhui. The premier art fair Art SG (23-25 January) runs alongside S.E.A. Focus, aiming to boost market access and solidify Singapore as a hub for Southeast Asian art.
2025 has been a landmark year for dinosaur fossils in the art world, marked by high-profile sales, seizures, and ethical controversies. In November, a pair of Allosaurus fossils and a Stegosaurus skeleton worth £12 million ($15.6 million) were seized by the UK's National Crime Agency from Binghai Su, a Chinese national linked to a major money-laundering case in Singapore. The fossils had been purchased at Christie's Jurassic Icons auction in 2024. Meanwhile, Sotheby's sold a juvenile Ceratosaurus fossil for $30.5 million in July, far exceeding its $6 million estimate, and Phillips entered the dinosaur market for the first time, selling a juvenile Triceratops skeleton for $5.4 million in November. The most expensive dinosaur fossil ever, a Stegosaurus named Apex bought by hedge fund titan Kenneth Griffin for $44.6 million in 2024, was loaned to the American Museum of Natural History.
Singapore Art Week 2026 is positioned as a pivotal moment for Southeast Asian contemporary art, with the article arguing that the region is actively rewriting the language of contemporary art. The event showcases a range of exhibitions, performances, and dialogues that highlight the unique perspectives and artistic innovations emerging from Southeast Asia, challenging dominant Western narratives in the art world.