As Hong Kong’s Economy Wavers, Singapore Wants to Become a Destination for Southeast Asian Art. Can a Tiny Art Fair Help the Cause?

Installation view of Richard Koh Fine Art's booth at SEA Focus 2020. Image courtesy of STPI—Creative Workshop & Gallery.

The second edition of the government-backed S.E.A. Focus fair offered a snapshot of the city state's cultural aspirations.

Laughter, chatter, and the pop of champagne corks offered a swanky soundtrack to the VIP preview of S.E.A. Focus, the upstart art fair in Singapore that concluded its second edition on Sunday. The fair, held inside the pristine, air-conditioned central hall of Singapore’s dedicated art district Gillman Barracks, attracted visitors from across Southeast Asia and served as a clear articulation of the city state’s ambition to become a regional art hub.  

Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (center), was engaged in a conversation with artist Eisa Jocson (second from left) discussing her work at the booth of The Columns Gallery booth at S.E.A. Focus. Photo: Vivienne Chow.

Indeed, just like Singapore’s perfectly manicured tree canopies, the intimate, smart-looking art fair—or platform, the term preferred by its organisers—was no happy accident. It was, instead, the product of a carefully coordinated effort on the part of the government to drive arts development. The commercial platform, which focuses on Southeast Asian contemporary art, has taken on an increasingly important role following the abrupt cancellation last year of Art Stage Singapore, formerly the region’s most prominent art fair.

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