Cover Citra Sasmita’s “Timur Merah Project X: Bedtime Story” (2024), presented by Yeo Workshop is conceived as a sanctuary of rest within the art fair
Citra Sasmita’s “Timur Merah Project X: Bedtime Story” (2024), presented by Yeo Workshop is conceived as a sanctuary of rest within the art fair
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From performance art and large-scale installations to blue-chip gallery presentations and the debut of Sea Focus within the fair, these are the standout works, sectors and moments shaping Art SG 2026
At first glance, Art SG 2026 opens with scale. More than 100 galleries from over 30 countries and territories fill Singapore’s Sands Expo and Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands as the fair enters its fourth edition, presented by founding and lead partner UBS. The VIP preview and vernissage signal not just another iteration, but a recalibration—one that places Southeast Asia more decisively at the centre of the global art conversation, while sharpening the fair’s international reach.
What feels new this year is not simply expansion, but texture. The inaugural co-presentation of Sea Focus within the fair collapses boundaries between regional showcase and international marketplace, bringing curatorial depth directly into the commercial heart of Art SG. At the same time, newly introduced sectors—most notably performance art—shift the fair’s rhythm, slowing its pace and inviting more embodied, durational encounters with art.
On the ground, the vernissage felt palpably alive. Performance art threaded through the fair rather than sitting at its edges, while the Platform sector’s large-scale installations commanded space and attention. Together, they lent the fair a sense of movement and vitality—less a static display of objects, more a choreography of practices unfolding in real time. With public days running from January 23 to 25, Art SG presents itself not just as a marketplace, but as a site of encounter and experimentation.
Read more: Art SG 2026: Magnus Renfrew on how Southeast Asia is reframing the global art conversation
1. Blue-chip weight meets regional depth in the Galleries sector
Above “Meriga” (2023-24) by Ibrahim Mahama, presented by White Cube
“Meriga” (2023-24) by Ibrahim Mahama, presented by White Cube
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Above From left: “Water Lilies with Cloud, from Water Lilies Series (C. 263)” (1992) by Roy Lichtenstein; “Set VII” (2024) by Antony Gormley; “Lilies 7” (2025) by Alex Katz, all presented by Thaddaeus Ropac
From left: “Water Lilies with Cloud, from Water Lilies Series (C. 263)” (1992) by Roy Lichtenstein; “Set VII” (2024) by Antony Gormley; “Lilies 7” (2025) by Alex Katz, all presented by Thaddaeus Ropac
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The main Galleries sector balances international blue-chip presence with regional conviction. White Cube returns with works by Ibrahim Mahama, Michael Armitage, Cai Guo-Qiang, Theaster Gates, Mona Hatoum, Marguerite Humeau and Raqib Shaw, while Thaddaeus Ropac presents Tony Cragg, Mandy El-Sayegh, Antony Gormley, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and Zadie Xa. Regional galleries assert equal footing: neugerriemschneider shows Haegue Yang and Udomsak Krisanamis; Ota Fine Arts presents Ming Wong and Mannat Gandotra; Ames Yavuz highlights Pinaree Sanpitak and Po Po. The result is a sector that feels dialogic rather than hierarchical.
Above Pinaree Sanpitak’s showcase at Ames Yavuz
Pinaree Sanpitak’s showcase at Ames Yavuz
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2. Singapore galleries and artists in sharp focus
Above “Happy Family” (2024) by Han Sai Por, presented by STPI
“Happy Family” (2024) by Han Sai Por, presented by STPI
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Above “Getting into Silat Alley” 2024 by Ong Kim Seng, presented by STPI
“Getting into Silat Alley” 2024 by Ong Kim Seng, presented by STPI
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Singapore’s galleries and artists hold clear visibility across the fair. STPI presents new works by Goh Beng Kwan, Ong Kim Seng and Han Sai Por from recent residencies, alongside earlier works by Chua Ek Kay and Amanda Heng, Singapore’s representative to the 2026 Venice Biennale. A focused selection of works by South Asian women artists—Hema Upadhyay, Shambhavi and Prabhavathi Meppayil—adds conceptual and material depth. Ode to Art shows Li Jin and Lim Tze Peng, Prestige Gallery presents Chen Chunmu, Liu Kang and Shui Tit Sing, while Haridas Contemporary spotlights Jeremy Sharma, Melissa Tan and Esmond Loh. Collectively, these presentations underscore Singapore’s role as both producer and interlocutor within regional contemporary art discourse.
Above “Clifford Pier in Singapore” (1948) by Shui Tit Sing, presented by Prestige Gallery
“Clifford Pier in Singapore” (1948) by Shui Tit Sing, presented by Prestige Gallery
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Above “All in One” (2025) by Esmond Loh, presented by Haridas Contemporary
“All in One” (2025) by Esmond Loh, presented by Haridas Contemporary
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Above “Spring in Jinling (SG)” (2025) by Li Jin, presented by Ode to Art
“Spring in Jinling (SG)” (2025) by Li Jin, presented by Ode to Art
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3. Sea Focus makes its Art SG debut
Above “Tropical BBQ Party” (2025) by Rosit Mulyadi, presented by Gajah Gallery, at Sea Focus
“Tropical BBQ Party” (2025) by Rosit Mulyadi, presented by Gajah Gallery, at Sea Focus
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Above “Decorative Disobedience” (2026) by Samuel Xun, presented by RIchard Koh Fine Art, at Sea Focus
“Decorative Disobedience” (2026) by Samuel Xun, presented by RIchard Koh Fine Art, at Sea Focus
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For the first time, Sea Focus is presented within Art SG, marking a strategic integration that expands its visibility and reach. Bringing together over 15 galleries—including Gajah Gallery, Gallery Ver, STPI, ShanghART and neugerriemschneider—the platform offers a concentrated view of Southeast Asian contemporary practice highlighting artists as agents of compassion addressing urgent global challenges under the theme “The Humane Agency”. Artist presentations by Tang Da Wu, Arahmaiani, Nicole Coson, Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan and Ho Tzu Nyen foreground themes of empathy, ecology and social agency. Rather than functioning as a parallel programme, Sea Focus reads as structural, anchoring Art SG’s regional proposition while strengthening Singapore Art Week’s intellectual and curatorial coherence.
Above “Home: Project Another Country” (2017) by Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, presented by STPI, at Sea Focus
“Home: Project Another Country” (2017) by Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, presented by STPI, at Sea Focus
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Above Amanda Heng’s “Singirl Revisits” (2011) series, presented by ShanghArt, at Sea Focus
Amanda Heng’s “Singirl Revisits” (2011) series, presented by ShanghArt, at Sea Focus
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4. Performance art animates the fair
Above “Instruction & Entertainment (minor gestures)” (2026) by Brian Fuata
“Instruction & Entertainment (minor gestures)” (2026) by Brian Fuata
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Art SG’s inaugural Performance Art sector shifts the fair’s rhythm from circulation to presence. Sydney-based Samoan artist Brian Fuata’s Instruction & Entertainment (minor gestures), developed with Daniel Jenatsch, unfolds intermittently as a site-responsive improvisation, with live-mixed sound responding to space and voice. Singaporean artist John Clang presents Nine Chairs, alongside Table of Inquiry, Reading by an Artist, a fengshui-inspired installation using Purple Star Astrology to create metaphysical portraits. Together, the performances introduce intimacy, vulnerability and duration, reconfiguring how attention and meaning accumulate within the fair environment.
In case you missed it: Art SG 2026: X Zhu-Nowell on reframing the art fair through performance, time and presence
Above “Nine Chairs” by John Clang, presented by Fost Gallery
“Nine Chairs” by John Clang, presented by Fost Gallery
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5. Melati Suryodarmo’s “I Love You” at the UBS Art Studio
Above At the vernissage, Melati Suryodarmo presented her 2007 work, “I Love You”
At the vernissage, Melati Suryodarmo presented her 2007 work, “I Love You”
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Above Suryodarmo’s work is a three-hour performance
Suryodarmo’s work is a three-hour performance
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The UBS Art Collection presents its first live performance artwork at Art SG with Melati Suryodarmo’s I Love You. Performed during the VIP preview, the work unfolds in a stark red room as the artist repeatedly carries a heavy glass while intoning “I love you.” Colour and action oscillate between desire, danger, vulnerability and endurance, transforming a familiar phrase into a ritual of physical and emotional strain. Video documentation remains on view throughout the fair, alongside a public conversation with Suryodarmo. The presentation signals UBS’s deepened commitment to performance as a critical contemporary medium, rather than a peripheral gesture.
6. Monumental encounters in the Platform sector
Above “Brushstroke Series” (2025) by Lee Bae, presented by Johyun Gallery
“Brushstroke Series” (2025) by Lee Bae, presented by Johyun Gallery
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Above Monumental paintings by Bingyi that explore nature, transformation and
cosmic connection, presented by INKstudio
Monumental paintings by Bingyi that explore nature, transformation and cosmic connection, presented by INKstudio
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Six large-scale, site-specific installations recalibrate the fair’s spatial experience. Highlights include Lee Bae’s charcoal-driven Brushstrokes series; Bingyi’s monumental paintings exploring nature and cosmic transformation; and Citra Sasmita’s Timur Merah Project X: Bedtime Story, conceived as a sanctuary of rest. Jitish Kallat’s Palindrome/Anagram Painting is installed with seating arranged like the Doomsday Clock, while Anne Samat presents a totemic self-portrait weaving Malaysian craft traditions with everyday materials. White Cube’s presentation of Raqib Shaw’s tapestry The Pragmatic Pessimist extends the conversation toward ecological precarity, reinforcing the sector’s contemplative ambition.
Above “It Feels Like Home … The Journey Continues (Wide Awake and Unafraid Series)” by Anne Samat, presented by Marc Straus Gallery
“It Feels Like Home … The Journey Continues (Wide Awake and Unafraid Series)” by Anne Samat, presented by Marc Straus Gallery
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Above “Palindrome/Anagram Painting” (2021) by Jitish Kallat, presented by Gajah Gallery and Nature Morte
“Palindrome/Anagram Painting” (2021) by Jitish Kallat, presented by Gajah Gallery and Nature Morte
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7. South Asia insights debuts as a dedicated pavilion
Above “The Pragmatic Pessimist” (2024) by Raqib Shaw, presented by White Cube
“The Pragmatic Pessimist” (2024) by Raqib Shaw, presented by White Cube
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South Asia Insights launches as a dedicated pavilion spotlighting contemporary art from South Asia, supported by the TVS Initiative. Led by Srinivas Aditya Mopidevi with curatorial advice from Studio Public Memory, the pavilion brings together galleries including Aicon, Sakshi Gallery, Vadehra Art Gallery, Nature Morte and Sundaram Tagore Gallery. Works by artists such as Jitish Kallat, Trishla Jain, Ayesha Singh, Russna Kaur and Surendran Nair foreground sustained engagement with time, history and progress.
Above “Folded Frequencies: Blue Shift” by Poojan Gupta, presented by Gallery Art Positive
“Folded Frequencies: Blue Shift” by Poojan Gupta, presented by Gallery Art Positive
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8. Hampi reimagined through art and ecology
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A quieter yet resonant presentation comes from The Institutum and Hampi Art Labs, exploring India’s Unesco World Heritage Site of Hampi through a photographic dialogue. Atul Bhalla turns his lens toward stone, capturing mineral textures and geological memory, while Robert Zhao Renhui focuses on animal life, particularly endangered sloth bears and their habitats. Together, the works consider Hampi as a terrain where ecology, history and human presence coexist. The presentation offers a glimpse into a year-long initiative culminating in a major exhibition curated by Yasufumi Nakamori, functioning as a reflective counterpoint within the fair’s intensity.
Credits
Photography: Terrix Lin
As Senior Editor of Tatler Singapore, Hashirin champions and refines the storytelling across platforms—curating and crafting compelling profiles, cover stories and features that spotlight visionaries shaping culture, business and impact. Driven by curiosity, she draws inspiration from the artists, changemakers and trailblazers she encounters through her work. Beyond the pages of Tatler, she is an avid supporter of local theatre and delights in seeking out art in every city she visits.
