Singapore elevates status as SEA visual arts hub

SINGAPORE'S art market has come a long way in the past 10 to 15 years - with more exhibitions, art fairs and art spaces popping up, providing no shortage of opportunities for more people here to experience art. The contemporary South-east Asian art market in particular has been gradually developing only for the last two decades or so, but it is still widely considered an emerging market globally.

Contemporary art from that region of Asia is finding its place on the world stage and Singapore is currently galvanising itself to become a South-east Asian hub for artists of the region as it presents incredible South-east Asian talent across an assortment of museums, galleries and art fairs throughout the year. For instance, one of the most anticipated events on the international arts calendar is Singapore Art Week (SAW), an annual celebration of visual arts that draws over 100,000 visitors to art fairs such as Art Stage Singapore and Singapore Contemporary, as well as exhibitions, public art showcases, art talks, and indie events every year.

In addition to this, efforts to grow Singapore into a visual arts hub are also not limited to large-scale events such as SAW. Gillman Barracks, a visual arts cluster, which came to life in 2012, has been a key to the region's visual arts scene and is now celebrating its fifth anniversary this year. It was first set up with the goal of bringing world-class exhibitions to Singapore and now boasts 12 international and local galleries, as well as the Nanyang Technological University Centre of Contemporary Art (NTU CCA), that feature established and emerging international, regional and Singaporean artists.