When I was going to school here, art wasn’t very encouraged. When I said to my parents I wanted to go into the art world, they were a bit like, “Well, I don’t understand, what would you do?”
I wondered if this art thing had legs, got an internship with Christie’s in New York and it made me realize that whilst by no means am I an artist, I really enjoyed being part of the world.
My background is very much bringing things together, being the coordinator, the puppeteer.
Am I creative? If you mean I’m going to paint Easter eggs with my kids this weekend, then yes, I dabble.
I’m learning this more and more as I get older, but you’ve got to be who you are.
A lot of people think that collecting art is for big grown up people, but I’m a big grown up person now, so when do you really get to that stage? Art is for everybody. You can start whenever you want, with whatever takes your fancy.
I started collecting when I was about 22, and they were all prints. I probably only bought my first painting about five years ago.
The last thing I bought is from Jacky Tsai, who did the designs for McQueen’s scarves.
To be an artist in Singapore, you’ve got to be pretty wealthy. It’s expensive living in all these different cities and not being sure what your next piece will be.
Galleries are working with artists day to day to enable an organic growth of the arts industry. They are the ones enabling artists to be artists. We just hope to provide a network and platform to reach a wide audience.
What hooks people quite often is the thought that they are investing in an artist but also in their future career.
Singapore being the most expensive city in the world kills me. I’ve got twins! What do you do with that?
The prices that people are prepared to pay here are higher and that reflects the amount of disposable income, too. Artwork sold in Singapore averages about $2,800, while in London it’s about $1,500.
People are really interested in the arts here and one thing to look at is the potential visitor base. Singaporeans are very engaged with what’s going on, whether it’s music or drama, there’s no reason to ever be bored here.
What really sets us apart is how complimentary we are and we are seen as an organization that is a catalyst for growing a new art buying public.
We live in a society that is very time-poor now, people are busy.
If I could sum up the Affordable Art Fair mission it would simply be to fall in love with art.
I don’t ever think you could push the boundaries of art because a true artist is “Art for Art’s Sake”. Look at Duchamp who put a latrine in an art exhibition.
I don’t see a lot of the environment reflected in the art here. I see a lot of abstract and painterly works like watercolour and calligraphy. There isn’t too much commentary on socio-political issues. There’s more technique and experimentation.
If I could have dinner with anyone dead or alive it would be Manet because he’s pretty full on or Ai Weiwei as he’s fascinating – we’re going to be reflecting on him in the future.
Always buy for love, not for money.
I like bold pieces and landscapes because initially they can be quite beautiful then they can be quite desolate the longer you stare at them. I don’t know what that says about me, but I do quite like a desolate landscape.
The best comment I’ve had yet is, “But I came here yesterday, and they had that artwork, and now it’s gone, and they said it might be here today”. Or after the fair people often say something like, “So there was this landscape, and it was sort of blue, and I wondered if you could tell me where it’s from.” It’s like playing Sherlock Holmes.
In my spare time, when I’m not doing this whole “art thing” I try and convince my husband to buy more art, or spend time with the twins and the dog.
