UBS brings back ART SG for a second edition, spearheading Singapore and Southeast Asia’s art calendar

Singapore, 14 November 2023 – UBS presents the second edition of ART SG, bringing together collectors, artists, galleries, institutions, and curators from Singapore, Southeast Asia and around the world in a week-long celebration of contemporary art. The Fair will present an exceptional line-up of over 100 leading international and regional galleries alongside a thoughtfully curated program of insightful conversations, dynamic, large-scale installations, film presentations, and expansive city-wide activations in close collaboration with Singapore’s visual arts museums, private foundations, and gallery districts, kicking off Southeast Asia’s annual art calendar with an invigorating start.

Jin Yee Young, Co-Head UBS Global Wealth Management Asia Pacific and Country Head UBS Singapore said: “UBS is proud to bring back ART SG for a second year, kicking off APAC’s art calendar. Singapore serves as an important gateway to the vibrant APAC art scene with robust interest amongst art collectors. In our latest global survey of HNW collectors, 91% of Singapore art collectors surveyed were planning to continue attending art-related exhibitions in 2024. A vast majority of collectors (71%) from Singapore are optimistic about the global art market over the next 6 months. Singapore has one of the highest representations of female artists’ works in the collections of HNW collectors among all of the regions surveyed worldwide. UBS believes contemporary art has the power to inspire people to reimagine a better future. The partnership between UBS and ART SG creates an impactful platform for people to connect through art, share ideas, and bring opportunities to life.”

Considered one of the most important corporate collections of contemporary art in the world, the UBS Art Collection consists of over 30,000 works, most of which are displayed throughout UBS’s offices globally, including Singapore. With a mission to collect the art of our time and spark conversations about today’s pressing issues, the UBS Art Collection will present artworks by leading Indonesian artist Eko Nugroho at the fair, highlighting a nuanced exploration of sustainability, through environmental awareness and traditional craft practices that engage the community.

Mary Rozell, Global Head of the UBS Art Collection, said: “The UBS Art Collection strives to highlight artists of our time who can speak to our deepest concerns, and the environment is at the forefront of this mission. Artists like Eko provide us with a means to unite around a shared cause and vision. We are proud to further the dialogue at ART SG, which serves as a fantastic platform to spotlight relevant issues, and foster a space where we can collaboratively envision a brighter future.”

The UBS Art Collection commissioned Eko Nugroho to create the interactive project We Are Here Now for the UBS Art Studio, a dedicated public activation space on level 1 of the fair. This installation addresses uncontrollable waste production while calling for action. Visitors are invited to step into the two mask-shaped sculptures, have their Polaroid photos taken and subsequently attached onto the third sculpture. The installation requires participation to be complete, serving as a reminder that society as a whole can partake in environmental protection.

In the UBS Lounge, the UBS Art Collection presents Hands with Sunrise also by Eko Nugroho. Focusing on themes of community and environmental consciousness, this presentation consists of a commissioned installation, embroidered paintings and other artworks made with upcycled materials. The artworks were created collectively by Nugroho and the local communities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, groups the artist has been collaborating with since 2007. As part of the display, the commissioned installation Guarding Sunrise in Mind (2023) attempts to bring a new spirit of optimism in welcoming the future.

The UBS Art Collection features an array of artists from around the world who, in line with Eko Nugroho, engage with environmental themes in their work. These include Julian Charrière, Liz Larner, Hugo McCloud, Richard Mosse, Pamela Rosenkranz, Tomás Saraceno, and Yin Xiuzhen. Their works have recently been commemorated in the UBS Art Collection’s latest publication, Reimagining: New Perspectives.

UBS has a long history of supporting contemporary art and maintains strong ties with Asia through recent commissions by Singaporean artists Hilmi Johandi and Dawn Ng, and Hong Kong artists Tsang Kin-Wah and Stephen Wong Chun Hei. This commitment extends globally, with commissioned artworks by Jeffrey Gibson and Sarah Morris in the US and John Armleder and Ugo Rondinone in Switzerland. At 9 Penang Road, the office proudly displays artwork by artists from Asia including Christine Ay Tjoe, Lee Bul, Jane Lee, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Danh Vo and Robert Zhao Renhui.

In addition to ART SG, UBS has partnerships with other leading art fairs in Asia such as Art Basel Hong Kong, Taipei Dangdai and West Bund Art & Design. UBS is also a lead partner for Art Basel in Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach.

Eko Nugroho (b. 1977, Indonesia; works and lives in Yogyakarta) is an internationally renowned contemporary artist based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. His background in street art and community-based artwork is the quintessential aspect of his expansive practice. From paintings, drawings and embroideries to murals, sculpture and video, his works are deeply anchored in both local traditions and the urban environment. Nugroho’s iconic visual language playfully intertwines political messages with appropriated aesthetics of street art, graffiti and comics.

Nugroho’s works are collected in major international institutions such as Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, Singapore Art Museum, Musée des Beaux-arts de Lyon, M+ Museum of Visual Culture (Hong Kong), Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (Brisbane) and Asia Society Museum (New York).

UBS has a long history of supporting contemporary art and artists. The firm has one of the world’s most important corporate art collections and seeks to advance the international conversation about the art market through its global lead partnership with Art Basel and as co-publisher of the ‘Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report' and the latest ‘A Survey of Global Collecting in 2023’ (free to download at ubs.com/collecting). UBS also supports some of the world’s most important arts institutions, events and fairs. UBS provides its clients with insight into the art market, collecting and legacy planning through its UBS Collectors Circle and UBS Art Advisory. For more information about UBS’s commitment to contemporary art, visit ubs.com/art.

The UBS Art Collection is considered one of the most important corporate collections of contemporary art in the world. It currently includes more than 30,000 paintings, works on paper, photographs, sculptures, videos, and installations. Most of these works are displayed in UBS offices globally, serving as an inspiration for employees and a platform for dialogue with clients and the public.

As the leading art fair in Southeast Asia, ART SG is a dynamic new platform showcasing the most visionary and exciting contemporary art from the region and globally. Under the direction of Fair Director Shuyin Yang and Co-Founder Magnus Renfrew, and organized by The Art Assembly, ART SG was launched in January 2023 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at the heart of Singapore’s financial district. In January 2022 MCH Group, the parent company of Art Basel, acquired a 15% shareholding in ART SG.

The inaugural edition of the fair welcomed significant local, regional and international galleries alongside a cutting-edge programme of commissioned and site-specific installations, experimental film, thought-provoking talks and performances.

Bringing progressive concepts and curation to the Singapore art landscape, ART SG delivered a custom-built fair of international standard and best practices, working from ground up to build a distinctive identity while fostering artistic excellence and cultural dialogue across Southeast Asia and the broader Asia Pacific region.

Differentiated from other art fairs, ART SG is geared towards the interests of the globally minded collector and aims to expand these interests by promoting new discourse and connections; encouraging cross-border collecting and a broad network of collectors and galleries forming relationships in Singapore.

UBS is a leading and truly global wealth manager and the leading universal bank in Switzerland. It also provides diversified asset management solutions and focused investment banking capabilities. With the acquisition of Credit Suisse, UBS manages 5.5 trillion dollars of invested assets as per second quarter 2023. UBS helps clients achieve their financial goals through personalized advice, solutions and products. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, the firm is operating in more than 50 countries around the globe. UBS Group shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

Media contact
UBS
Julie Yeo +65 9673 4433; julie.yeo@ubs.com
Adeline Lee +65 9753 2480; adeline.lee@ubs.com
Kate Oei +65 9271 2077; kate.oei@ubs.com