Singapore Fair Director’s Highlights

After three long years, the team are thrilled to be returning with the fifteenth edition of Affordable Art Fair Singapore. From 18-20 November, we’ll be bringing some of the best contemporary artworks to audiences new and old. With works from 80 different galleries, I had a tough task trying to narrow down my personal highlights to just 10, but I hope this gives you a taster of what lies in store!

Charlotte Chin, ‘Campbell Lane’

Charlotte Chin’s art records her encounters with nature; weaving form and texture into her work. In her paintings, tiny plants flourish in the thickest of jungles and depths of dark oceans. She brings a sculptural quality to her paintings through the use of collage and layering. Her interest in exploring abstract forms is inspired by travelling and relocation. She stitches scenes from these events and locations to form her own history of the world. 

Atin Yeo, ‘Forget About This One For Now’

Half Thai, half Singaporean, all soul and beauty! Atin Yeo paints with pining and love. He layers stories and memories into explosive and vibrant collages and dreamscapes. His emotive work documents his struggles but Atin finds comfort in art and uncovers a unique way of viewing the world.

Angel Hui, ‘Goldfish Twins #4’

Angel Hui creates lifelike sculptures using embroidery on plastics. Hui is fascinated in daily objects and often discovers new meaning in them by twisting traditional art form and appropriating common materials to become part of her artwork. She has won many awards and was one of the finalists of the Hong Kong Fine Art Prize in 2014. She was also invited by Lane Crawford HK to create an art window display showcasing her modern interpretation of Chinese traditions.

Jiang Wanlin, ‘Mirrored Landscape’

Indigo-hued denim is Jiang Wanlin’s chosen medium. She creates intricate artworks so precisely executed that they resemble traditional Chinese ink paintings. Jiang has been constantly finding new, creative ways to make art that can benefit the environment, whether that is by using accessible and reused materials, or inspiring and creating social awareness on such topics.

Yu Uchida, Cool It (XS)

Yu Uchida’s whimsical sculptures composed of glass and mixed media add fun to collecting art. He was awarded a MA in Glasswork from the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music and has shown in solo exhibitions in Japan, Korea and the UK.

Corné Eksteen, ‘The Lemon To The Right Is Microchipped’

Corné Eksteen is a figurative painter, renowned for his large scale confrontational portraits. His work relies on both figurative and abstract painting traditions and explores themes relating to the deconstruction and fragmentation of identity. Paintings are created using experimental techniques and relies on finding a balance between the transparent and opaque, dark and light, the controlled and the expressive. 

Lisa Brummer, ‘Hello Hendricks’

Lisa’s natural inspiration is drawn from dramatic glamour and shadowed imagery with a punchy, urban street appeal. Whether it is glamour girls, Palio racing horses, our backyard birds or vintage cars, Lisa’s work strikes a bold, infectious presence to the viewer. Having lived in Cape Town, London, Malaysia and Sydney, Lisa’s work is an exciting mix of these cultures, colours and vibrant energies to which she has been exposed. From wild brush strokes to the enticing colours, her art is striking to say the least.

Steve Harris, ‘Flamingo’

Known for his impeccable painted still life and skilful use of light, shadow and space. Master of understated realism which in turn evokes its own sense of ‘atmosphere’ and contemplative mood. 

Hideaki Yamamoto, ‘Emotion’

Hideaki Yamamoto creates carefully calculated sculptures using wood blocks which are stacked and carved, creating a texture reminiscent of geological strata, expressing the passage of time as it accumulates.

Sylvain Lefebvre, ‘The Wandering Elephant’  

French painter Sylvain Lefebvre sees himself as an explorer of his own personal universe, an ‘imaginary wanderer in search of new lands’. Inspired by a childhood of travelling with a father in theatre, Lefebvre’s paintings combine many influences. These elements are mixed up with allusions to art history, literary references and motifs from popular culture, to create a strange, dream-like scenography. 

I hope these ten works give you a flavour of what to expect at Affordable Art Fair Singapore (18-20 November). There’s still time to get your tickets. I hope you enjoy our comeback edition and discover the joy of collecting art. See you there!