Singapore SOS for exhibitors at cancelled Art Stage fair brings flood of offers to host shows

In a spirit of camaraderie, galleries, a hotel, homeowners and an art collector offer space for artists and gallerists already in Singapore to show works

Efforts continue to find a large venue to give exhibitors maximum exposure

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Visitors to Art Stage Singapore in 2015, before the fair hit hard times. Photo: Lucas Schifres

Published: 12:00pm, 18 Jan 2019Updated: 7:02pm, 19 Jan 2019

Exhibitors and artists are still reeling from the cancellation of Art Stage Singapore just a week before art fair’s scheduled opening. But a distinctly Singaporean spirit has come to the fore in the aftermath: a tremendous sense of camaraderie and a determination to be self-sufficient.

Within two hours of Art Stage founder Lorenzo Rudolf’s official notification to the 45 exhibitors on Wednesday, a Facebook group called Art Stage SOS was set up for artists and gallerists affected by the cancellation. It was also a cry for help: could anyone with spare space to accommodate exhibitions at the last minute please come forward?

By Friday, it had attracted 328 members and offers from all quarters.

Among the first to come forward was Artcommune Gallery in Bras Basah. It is a building with 10 galleries and auction houses that has a spare 1,000 sq ft space for use during the four days Art Stage was to have run – January 24-27).

“Artcommune would like to convey that they are doing this on the basis of goodwill, and are very open to reasonable rates depending on the respective situations of artists and/or gallerists who need assistance,” said the moderator of the Facebook group, Usha Chandradas.