The art fair explosion

IN 2009, there was just one art fair in Singapore. In 2010, there were three. By 2014, there may be as many as 10 art fairs of varying sizes, including four large-scale ones.

Are there enough buyers to support so many fairs? Will the phenomenon threaten the livelihood of galleries that have been here since before the global art craze? And will it affect the quality of the works of popular artists compelled to produce more within a shorter turnaround time? Questions abound.

Of course, Singapore isn't alone in experiencing the explosion in art fairs. Across the globe, major cities are witnessing a dramatic rise in fair numbers, fuelled by a few major factors. They include a growing …