Finding its footing as a South-east Asian arts fair

BESIDES a giant inflatable pink pig with wings, and rotting tofu arranged in Chinese surnames, there are few over-the-top sculptures and installations this year compared to past editions of Art Stage Singapore.

Some felt that what was missing was the supersized art and the over-the-top sculptures that spurred conversation. "I feel the works have gotten smaller compared to previous years," says art collector Jagdeesh Kumar. "You get a couple of Zheng Fanzhi's paintings but they're the smaller ones. You get some Zhang Xiaogangs but they're the prints instead of the real thing. It's as if the galleries have settled on bringing smaller works that can fit into Singapore flats. Where is the big, gobsmacking art? I see very little of that here compared to Art Basel Hong Kong."

But it's still the fair to come to for South-east Asian artists, he notes, and "their works are amazing".