How to Find Serenity in Art Collecting
Explore the quiet joy and mindful presence that art can bring into our lives. Through reflections on curation, discovery, and the stories behind each piece, this Inspiration blog invites you to slow down and see collecting not as a pursuit of value, but as a journey toward inner calm.
Adelyn Aidzil
Tuesday 14 October, 2025
When buying art, where do you begin? For a lot of people who are new to collecting art, the industry can sometimes feel like a dazzling maze: so many colours, stories, and styles vying for your attention, each one whispering a different invitation. Yet amid this abundance, veteran gallerist Marjorie Chu, founder of Singapore’s pioneering Art Forum, offers a simple but enduring compass that has guided her for over five decades: collect what brings you peace.
The gallerist
As Singapore celebrates SG60, Affordable Art Fair honours the city’s creative pioneers, and few embody that legacy more gracefully than Art Forum. Since its founding, the gallery has been a quiet force in shaping Singapore’s art collecting culture, introducing multiple generations to art that endures not just visually, but emotionally.
At this year’s fair, their booth (3E-13) becomes a living embodiment of Marjorie’s lifelong philosophy through the theme Serenity, Balance, Meditations, a sanctuary of calm and contemplation amidst the fair’s vibrant energy.
“Bright colours may catch the eye,” Marjorie reflects, “but they tire quickly. The right artwork should continue to speak to you; day after day, year after year.”
Her words reveal the gallery’s guiding belief. Art, at its best, is not about spectacle, but about stillness and a quiet exchange between soul and image that deepens over time.
The artists
This ethos is beautifully reflected in the works of three artists presented by Art Forum this year, each one exploring serenity in their own language of form, texture, and tone.
Frederic BergerCardi delves into renewal and faith through his ink paintings. His Beacons of Faith and Cycle of Seasons series invite the viewer into meditative contemplation where fluid brushwork and a restrained palette mirror the natural rhythms of light, breath, and change.
Cheryl Chiw transforms the elemental wood, stone, and metal into sculptures that balance the raw and the refined. Each work, shaped by time and nature’s slow alchemy, reconnects us with the earth’s quiet endurance and tactile grace.
Jo Darvall captures the spirit of ancient landscapes through her lyrical prints and watercolours. Inspired by her journeys to Ayutthaya and Sukhothai, her works evoke the gentle persistence of beauty; the way memories, places, and histories remain alive beneath the surface of time.
You’ll be able to discover these three artists, and more, during our fair this November. If they’ve spiked your inspiration, or you’re interested to see more, Marjorie’s advice is to trust your instincts.
“A meaningful artwork should feel like a conversation you want to continue for years.”
Rather than rushing to buy straight away, she encourages new collectors to slow down and to spend time with the pieces, ask questions, meet the artist, and allow their responses to unfold naturally. Collecting, in her view, is not an act of acquisition but of listening to what resonates quietly, personally, and lastingly. Just don’t let it be the one that got away – all the works on offer at the fair are original, one-of-a-kind or limited print runs.
The collectors
Among those who’ve found their path through Art Forum are Eugenia and Kamal, an art-loving couple whose journey began during the stillness of the pandemic in 2020. What started as a casual visit to the gallery became a turning point at the beginning of a relationship not only with art, but with a way of seeing art differently.
Coming from different worlds (medicine and advertising) they share a sensibility grounded in empathy, curiosity, and the desire to explore life in all its textures. Through collecting, they discovered that art has the power to transform not just spaces, but inner landscapes.
“It became less about owning and more about connecting. To the artists, to ideas, and to each other.”
At Art Forum’s booth, collecting becomes less about transaction and more about transformation. Each artwork invites viewers to pause, breathe, and rediscover a sense of balance to engage with art not as an object, but as a companion. In this space, the act of collecting art mirrors the theme of serenity itself: a mindful unfolding, a quiet return to oneself.
What now?
So, if you’re wondering about your own relationship to owning art, perhaps the answer lies in slowing down. Step into Art Forum’s space, let the noise of the fair fade for a moment. Listen, look. Let the art speak first and if it speaks softly, yet surely, you may have already begun your journey.
The 18th Edition of Affordable Art Fair Singapore returns to the F1 Pit Building this November. Discover thousands of contemporary artworks from over 95 local and international hand-picked selection of galleries — all priced below S$15,000. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or buying your very first piece of artwork, the fair is the perfect place for you come to see, love and own art!
Book tickets now via Eventbrite, or use your SG Culture Pass.
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