The art scene in Singapore continues to grow. It is a popular art event destination.
October 1999 saw the first Affordable Art Fair, held in London, UK. According to their website, ten thousand visitors were at the event and thousands of contemporary art pieces were purchased. Launched in 2010, the Singapore Affordable Art Fair is the longest-running one in the city.
From April 7 – 19 2017, the spring edition of the annual Affordable Art Fair was back in F1 Pit Building. Both local and international galleries offered contemporary art that is below $15,000. The majority is below $7,500. The idea is to welcome people to contemporary art by making it more accessible. This also means that emerging artists are favoured.
This year the Singapore fair had over 40 exhibitions and 300+ artists.
So my friend and I made plans to drop by.
F1 Pit Building is a large space and it was filled with art and people. Diversity of medium and forms brightened the white walls and the concrete floors. Provocative work also called to different people. As we walked through the space, we were captivated by the beautiful colours of Kei Yasaka 八坂圭 and by the artist’s bright smile. We spoke some with him and I took some photos of my friend and Kei. His message is happiness, brightness, and harmony in his work and message to people.
The beautiful work of Toko Shinoda also caught my eye. Her beautiful calligraphy work is dynamic, with blacks punctuated by colour.
The Singapore Affordable Art is a wonderful opportunity to look at art and perhaps to begin or expand your art collection. Over the years in Singapore, I have collected several pieces, two at an art fair.
Toko Shinoda 篠田 桃紅
Toko Shinoda is a Japanese calligrapher, painter, poet, and artist known for her abstract expressionism. At the age of five, her father instructed her in calligraphy for the first time and by 1940 had her first exhibition in Tokyo. Born in 1913, her name was Masuko 満州子, which means “child of Manchuria”. She later took on Tōkō 桃紅, “red peach flower”. Her work spans 70 years and over 120 works.
Toko Shinoda passed away in 2021, at the age of 107.
F1 Pit Building
No.1 Republic Boulevard
Singapore
(updated 2024)