ART SG & S.E.A. Focus • 2026

ART SG, with Founding and Lead Partner UBS, will hold its fourth edition at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, from January 23 to 25, 2026, with a VIP Preview and Vernissage on January 22. For the first time, the fair will co-present S.E.A. Focus, a platform promoting contemporary art from Southeast Asia, featuring over 100 galleries from more than 30 countries and territories. This collaboration strengthens Singapore's role as a cultural hub for artistic innovation and transformation in the region and beyond. ART SG will present expanded programming, new curatorial initiatives, and strategic partnerships, providing a unique platform that highlights Southeast Asia's vibrant contemporary art scene alongside international perspectives, from emerging to established talents. 

Magnus Renfrew, Co-founder, ART SG stated, "We are thrilled to present the fourth edition of ART SG, which continues to evolve as the leading platform for contemporary art in Southeast Asia and beyond. With the maturing collector base and cultural ecosystem in the region, we are particularly excited to introduce S.E.A. Focus at ART SG, showcasing the region's most compelling voices in an integrated platform for galleries, artists, and institutions to connect and engage. Through expanded programming, innovative curatorial initiatives, and strengthened partnerships, ART SG reinforces Singapore's role as a vibrant hub and gateway to the region, amid the rising prominence of Southeast Asian and Indo-Pacific contemporary art on the global stage." 

Jin Yee Young, Co-Head UBS Global Wealth Management Asia Pacific and Country Head UBS Singapore commented: "We are proud to support ART SG 2026 as Founding and Lead Partner. The recent Art Basel and UBS Survey of Global Collecting by Arts Economics highlights key motivations in Asian collecting. Among Singaporean respondents, 

there is a strong interest in emerging talent, particularly among female collectors. Looking forward, 81% of HNWIs surveyed in Singapore are optimistic about the Global Art Market's outlook in the next six months. With high optimism, we expect a vibrant turnout of artists, art collectors, and enthusiasts at ART SG 2026. We are delighted that S.E.A. Focus will be part of ART SG this year, showcasing the region's artistic developments and reinforcing ART SG's importance as Southeast Asia's premier art fair. Furthering our commitment to art, we are pleased to announce the launch of the ART SG FUTURES Prize presented by UBS, strengthening our support of emerging artists and reflecting our commitment to Asia Pacific. At the fair, UBS will present works from the UBS Art Collection in our UBS Lounge and UBS Art Studio." 

Renowned international names will return to ART SG in 2026 to showcase highlights from their prestigious programmes, including White Cube (London, Hong Kong, Paris, Seoul, New York); Thaddaeus Ropac (London, Paris, Salzburg, Seoul); neugerriemschneider (Berlin); Galerie Gisela Capitain (Cologne, Naples); Annely Juda Fine Art (London); Goodman Gallery (Johannesburg, Cape Town, London, New York); and Ota Fine Arts (Singapore, Shanghai, Tokyo). Exciting newcomers to the fair include Ashvita’s (Chennai) and a joint presentation by Antenna Space (Shanghai) and Commonwealth and Council (Los Angeles), expanding the fair's international scope and programme, while others like Harper’s Gallery (New York); JW Projects (Singapore); and Wei-Ling Gallery (Kuala Lumpur) return after a one-year hiatus. 

ART SG continues to present a definitive showcase of Southeast Asian contemporary art. Leading regional galleries returning include Ames Yavuz (Singapore, Sydney); STPI (Singapore); Sullivan+Strumpf (Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne); Richard Koh Fine Art (Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur); Gajah Gallery (Singapore, Jakarta, Yogyakarta), and Haridas Contemporary (Singapore), offering visitors a comprehensive view of the region’s dynamic creative landscape. 

S.E.A. FOCUS AT ART SG 

S.E.A. Focus, the leading platform for Southeast Asian contemporary art, will be presented at ART SG at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, offering visitors single-ticket access to both events for the first time. This integrated format provides an enriched experience while expanding market opportunities for galleries and strengthening connections between artists, collectors, and the global art community. S.E.A. Focus will maintain its distinctive curatorial identity and format, highlighting the best of contemporary art in Southeast Asia. 

Participating galleries include Richard Koh Fine Art (Singapore, Bangkok), Silverlens (Manila, New York); AC43 Gallery (Singapore); The Drawing Room (Manila); ISA Art Gallery (Jakarta); ShanghART Gallery (Shanghai, Singapore, Beijing); STPI (Singapore); ara contemporary (Jakarta); Mr. Lim’s Shop of Visual Treasures (Singapore); Gallery VER (Bangkok); neugerriemschneider (Berlin); Artinformal (Manila); Intersections (Singapore); Gajah Gallery (Singapore, Jakarta, Manila); Mizuma Gallery (Singapore, Tokyo); Wetterling Teo Gallery (Singapore), among others, with presentations by artists Tang Da Wu, Arahmaiani , and Nicole Coson. 

The 2026 edition, curated by John Z.W. Tung with artistic consultation by Emi Eu, Executive Director of STPI Creative Workshop and Gallery (STPI), will explore the theme The Humane Agency, focusing on artists as agents of compassion in addressing today’s urgent global challenges—including conflict and the desire for peace, the intensifying ecological crisis, and the movement of communities across and beyond nation-states. Together, ART SG and S.E.A. Focus will be anchor events of Singapore Art Week in a strategic collaboration that amplifies their impact, reach, and contribution to the region’s dynamic contemporary visual arts landscape. 

Emi Eu, Executive Director, STPI and Artistic Consultant, S.E.A. Focus 2026 remarked: “STPI is proud to have established S.E.A. Focus as a vital platform for Southeast Asian art, and this collaboration with ART SG opens an exciting new chapter. S.E.A. Focus 2026 will continue to highlight the richness of the region’s artistic narratives, creating opportunities to amplify the unique voices of Southeast Asia to a global audience.” 

John Tung, Curator, S.E.A. Focus 2026 added: “In these unprecedented times, artists play a crucial role in responding to global challenges and imagining alternative pathways toward a more compassionate and peaceful world. I am particularly interested in how Southeast Asian voices contribute to this conversation, and what their unique cultural and geopolitical perspectives can offer. As we navigate an increasingly complex era, I encourage audiences to look to artists as agents of change, and to remain open to the questions, provocations, and possibilities that their practices bring forth.” 

Tay Tong, Director, Arts Ecosystem Group (Visual Arts), National Arts Council, said: “This significant partnership between S.E.A. Focus and ART SG leverages the strength of both platforms—bringing together the best of Southeast Asian art with the leading voices of the global art world. With John Tung continuing as curator, we are confident that the upcoming edition of S.E.A. Focus will retain its distinct Southeast Asian curatorial lens as the platform embarks on this new chapter. As commissioner, NAC will continue to support and provide opportunities to showcase our visual arts community, and we are excited to work with partners such as ART SG who share our ambition in advancing Singapore’s arts.” 

Empowering Art, Enriching Communities with UBS 

The 2026 edition will feature the launch of the ART SG FUTURES Prize presented by UBS, worth USD 10,000, awarded to an outstanding emerging artist in the FUTURES sector, reinforcing UBS’s role as a dedicated supporter and enabler of the arts. This prize underscores UBS’s and ART SG’s commitment to nurturing and spotlighting new talent, benefiting individual artists and enriching the broader art ecosystem by fostering innovation and supporting the next generation of creative voices. 

At the UBS Art Studio on Level 1 of the fair, the UBS Art Collection will present Melati Suryodarmo’s I Love You (2007), an intense five-hour performance captured on single-channel video. Suryodarmo moves through a stark red room, carrying a large glass while repeating “I love you”. The red evokes love, desire, urgency, and danger, while the fragile yet heavy glass symbolizes emotional vulnerability and burden. Through repetition and physical strain, the work transforms a simple declaration into a ritual of longing, resilience, and endurance. 

The presentation of Suryodarmo’s work at ART SG reaffirms UBS’s long-standing commitment to supporting cultural initiatives worldwide and belief in the power of contemporary art to inspire dialogue, deepen understanding, and enrich lives. At the heart of this dedication is the UBS Art Collection, one of the world’s most significant corporate collections of contemporary art, with over 40,000 artworks by influential artists of our time. 

SAM ART SG FUND 

Building on its inaugural launch, the SAM ART SG Fund, a benefactor-led initiative supporting Singapore Art Museum’s (SAM) acquisitions of international contemporary art from a Southeast Asian perspective, returns for a second year. The Fund will allocate SGD 150,000 to acquire works by leading and emerging artists presented at ART SG 2026, reinforcing the fair’s role as a key platform for collecting and strengthening Singapore’s arts ecosystem. Made possible through the generous support of patrons Carmen Yixuan Li, Pure Yichun Chen, and other anonymous donors, with advisory guidance from ART SG Fair Director Shuyin Yang, the Fund enables SAM to acquire works of significance that resonate locally and internationally. Following acquisition, the artworks will be available for public viewing through SAM’s exhibitions and programming, supporting visual arts education and broadening public access to contemporary art. The inaugural 2025 Fund supported the acquisition of three key works: Kim Yun Shin, Add Two Add One Divide Two Divide One 2023–6 (2023), presented by Lehmann Maupin; Kapwani Kiwanga, Magma (2024), presented by Goodman Gallery; and Lêna Bùi, Breathing no.2 (2024), presented by Galerie Urs Meile. 

NEW CURATORIAL INITIATIVES AND EXPANDED PROGRAMMES 

In a pioneering cultural sponsorship, the TVS Initiative for Indian and South Asian Contemporary Art at ART SG will spotlight Indian and South Asian contemporary art and strengthen the fair’s dialogue with the region. Curatorially advised by Studio Public Memory and led by Srinivas Aditya Mopidevi, this initiative brings South Asia’s rich artistic perspectives and cultural narratives into focus, anchored by ‘South Asia Insights’, a dedicated pavilion showcasing works from prominent galleries such as Vadehra Art Gallery (New Delhi); Sakshi Gallery (Mumbai); and LATITUDE 28 (New Delhi). Programming will include curator-led tours and dedicated initiatives designed to foster meaningful exchange among artists, collectors, curators, and cultural institutions across South Asia and beyond. 

As part of a new curatorial collaboration with Rockbund Art Museum (RAM), Shanghai, X Zhu-Nowell, Executive Director and Chief Curator of RAM, will serve as ART SG’s Film and Performance Art Curator, marking the introduction of a dedicated Performance Art sector at the fair. Singaporean artist John Clang (b.1973), presented by FOST Gallery (Singapore), will showcase a trio of works blending installation and performance: Reading by an Artist (2023—), Nine Chairs (2025—), and Table of Inquiry (2025—), delving into themes of astrology, ritual, and domesticity to create intimate encounters that inspire communal reflection and evolving dialogue. 

Rockbund Art Museum and ART SG will present Wan Hai Hotel: Singapore Strait (translated as “Circumnavigating the Sea”) in Singapore, the latest evolution of this innovative and first-of-its-kind exhibition model. Featuring an exceptional list of artists from Southeast Asia, Australasia, and Asia Pacific, whose works dwell on archipelagic thinking and maritime identity, this unique iteration will transform the lobby of The Warehouse Hotel, a restored heritage property on Robertson Quay, into an immersive exhibition space that combines institutional-level curation with a seamless hospitality experience. In this hybrid environment, visitors are drawn into a dynamic world where film and video programmes, site-specific interventions, installations, performances, and artist-led gatherings unfold. The presentation will feature works by Stephanie Comilang; Ho Tzu Nyen; Wantanee Siripattananuntakul; Ming Wong; Robert Zhao; Dawn Ng; Hoo Fan Chon, alongside performances by Joshua Serafin; John Clang; Bhenji Ra, and more. 

The Institutum, a non-profit dedicated to expanding Singaporean art through international collaborations, will present its inaugural partnership with Hampi Art Labs, a landmark residency program set in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hampi, Karnataka, India. The collaboration highlights cross-cultural dialogue and ecological inquiry, showcasing works by Singaporean artist Robert Zhao and Indian artist Atul Bhalla developed through immersive research and artistic engagement within this extraordinary environment. 

Shuyin Yang, Fair Director, ART SG added: “We are thrilled to welcome both returning and new galleries to ART SG, which continues to grow as a dynamic platform for Singaporean 

and Southeast Asian art. The launch of our dedicated Performance Art sector underscores our commitment to supporting a broad range of artistic practices from the region, providing a platform for experimental, interdisciplinary, and immersive works that engage audiences in new and transformative ways. With the debut of the TVS Initiative for Indian and South Asian Contemporary Art and collaborations with Rockbund Art Museum and The Institutum, ART SG brings a wider array of regional voices to the forefront, fostering cross-regional dialogue and expanding the fair’s global reach.” 

Visitors can immerse themselves in the dynamic programming of Singapore Art Week, presented by the city’s leading visual art museums, private collections, and cultural partners. Additional details on the fair’s highlights will be shared in due course. 

The fair continues its partnership with AXA, Ruinart, and The Glendronach as Official Partners, and Marina Bay Sands as Official Partner and Host Venue. For ART SG 2026, the fair welcomes Martell as a new Official Partner. 

For more information about ART SG: 

Website: artsg.com 

Instagram: @art.sg 

Facebook: @artsgfair 

For more information about S.E.A. Focus: 

Website: seafocus.sg 

Instagram: @seafocus 

Facebook: @SEAFocusSG 

For more information about the Singapore Art Week: 

Website: artweek.sg 

Facebook, Instagram, Telegram: @sgartweek