Meet the Singapore Team

Alan Koh, Fair Director

Alan is definitely a familiar face if you have ever been to our fair. Alan has been with the Singapore team since the inauguration in 2010 and started his art world journey with Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

Alan first got in touch with then Fair Director, Camilla Hewitson, back in 2010. While the team was first anxious whether the fair would gather enough interest as the first Affordable Art Fair in Asia, their worries were soon swooped away with the overwhelming amount of support, excitement and visitor interest in buying art.

“We never looked back, and that was the start of many years to come. I’ve witnessed the growth of the Fair since the beginning, from a handful of galleries and limited space, to 14 fairs across the world, engaging thousands of artists globally. It is inspiring to see how far we’ve come, and I can’t wait to lead the team to the next stage.”

Alan has an eclectic taste in art, whether that be paintings by British, Vietnamese or Singapore artists, prints, photography, Western and Eastern fusion art, Alan has it all! In fact, Alan’s most notable purchases are of Lim Jia Qi and Hilmi Johandi, who was part of Affordable Art Fair Young Talent Programme in 2019. Both were winners of the Young Talent Programme, in which Hilmi Johandi currently also showcases his work at Art Basel.

“I am born and bred in Singapore, so I love subjects based on the context of where I grew up, with some sense of nostalgia.”

Bernice Lew, Financial Controller Asia

Bernice has been with the company for over 10 years as our Financial Controller, looking after the finance across all of our Asia Pacific Fairs.

Her favourite moments at the fair include Friday mornings before the fair opens and Halloween parties with our Fair Director, Alan.

Bernice has also recently purchased Story of the Sea from Stiliana Alexieva – it fits perfectly in her new home.

“We have a very fun and professional team and as much as we work hard to bring the fair to life, we also have lots of fun and laughter along the way. Apart from that, it is always nice seeing people who have never been to an art fair, come to one of our fairs and realise visiting an art fair is not as daunting as they thought it would be.”

Coco Ma, Asia Marketing Manager

Joining Affordable Art Fair in 2022, Coco oversees the Marketing Team for both Hong Kong and Singapore. Her job mainly surrounds social media planning, PR pitching and press release, VIP data management and more.

Falling in love with the Singapore culture, Coco loves sharing Nasi Lemak (Coconut rice) with the team whenever she lands in Singapore. Her favorite moment at the fair is usually a few minutes ahead of the opening, where everyone gets the strong adrenaline rush of welcoming our first visitors to the fair! It can get crazy, but nonetheless fun and rewarding.

“The fair is THE place to be for any art lover because you get a smorgasbord of visual art that’s a feast for the eyes. With such an international database of galleries, you have the opportunity to view different art styles from various cultures, interpreted by hundreds of talented artists.”

“A key reason for my return in 2023 is the inclusive and supportive atmosphere that permeates the organization. We spend the majority of our time at work so being able to bring our authentic self to work is crucial.”