Asia City Online talks to a few dealers attending the fair:

“Since establishing ourselves in Singapore three years ago, Asia was a great field of discovery for us,” says Frederic de Senarclens, director of Art Plural Gallery, who is showcasing works by China’s Li Tianbing and Qiu Jie and India’s Thukral and Tagra at this year’s edition. “India and China are particularly fascinating … our last exhibition paid tribute to these creative art scenes that are extremely dynamic. To us, the relevance does not lie in the artists’ nationality but in the message and deepness of their creativity.”

While last year’s major draws were notably more Pop oriented (David LaChapelle’s fashion- inspired photography and Takashi Murakami’s Pop Art prints created the most buzz), the focus this year is notably more cerebral, site-specific and thought-provoking—large Asian installation works aside, there will also be numerous fringe exhibitions on Asian art taking place at various galleries across the city.

“The future lies in Asia’s hands,” testifies Herdon Contemporary’s director Andrew Herdon. “The marketplace in the West is saturated, [while] here …interest in contemporary art is growing beyond the gloss of how much money can be made on return from investments. People want to be more culturally educated … through quality platforms like Art Stage.“

Highlights: Art Stage—The Sequel