ArtRadar was disappointed with sales at Art Stage Singapore. The event seems to have had a strong Southeast Asian flavor—and an emphasis on collectors—but the buyers just didn’t seem turn out:

With all this talk of branding and regional posturing, Art Radar was surprised by the lack of on-the-ground reporting to be found on Art Stage Singapore itself. What was published, at least in the online world, was mixed. While the fair started out strong with an invitation-only viewing that saw the sale of work by many Singapore artists, some journalists noted lagging sales as the event went on.

LuxArtAsia noted, with little optimism, that despite many comments on the higher quality of the works in 2012, collectors just were not buying. They considered several possible explanations for such weak sales including the success that various auctions held towards beginning of the fair saw, poor timing (with the Chinese New Year holiday period on the horizon and the Taiwanese presidential elections wrapping up on 14 January) and a recent collectors’ trip to Jogya in Indonesia that may have been the cause of some tight purse strings. Apparently some Chinese galleries are even considering a petition to refund the steep rental fee.

We are definitely feeling the insecurity in the art market as collectors have been holding back on major sales. We have seen some big and important sales but they have not been enough.

Lorenzo Rudolf

Art Stage Singapore 2012 round up: Sales slow, coverage listless (ArtRadarJournal.com)

Art Stage Singapore released these sales from the 2012 fair:

• Michael Schultz Gallery sold an “Abstraktes Bild (Abstract Painting)” by Gerhard Richter for US$1.52 million (S$2 million)
• Haunch of Venison sold a number of Gonkar Gyatso works including the “Dissected Buddha”, 2011, for US$200,000 (S$260,000), as well as an undisclosed piece for US$400,000 (S$518,000)
• Gajah Gallery sold two paintings by I Nyoman Masriadi for US$350,000 (S$453,000)
• Linda Gallery sold a work by Indonesian artist Srihardi Soedarsono for US$232,000 (S$300,000)
• De Sarthe Gallery sold a few sculptures by Bernar Venet for US$100,000 (S$130,000)
• Galerie Perrotin sold MR’s “Desktop of My Mind”, 2011, for US$240,000 (S$311,000)
• Galerie EIGEN + ART sold the “Nervositat” piece by Martin Eder for US$86,000 (S$112,000)
• ESLITE Gallery sold a Wong Hoy Cheong work for US$88,500 (S$115,000)
• Lehmann Maupin sold a neon lighted sculpture by Tracey Emin for US$70,000 (S$109,000) among others
• Volte Gallery sold out most of its Ranbir Kaleka and Sheba Chhachhi pieces
• OV Gallery sold three pieces from their Project Stage booth by Wang Taocheng
• Xin Dong Cheng Space for Contemporary Art sold three pieces by Shi Jianmin (China)

Alexandra Seno talks to Lorenzo Rudolf about Art Stage Singapore’s focus on collectors:

“In Asia, the collector is very, very important,” says Lorenzo Rudolf, the fair’s chief executive. “Even more than America or Europe, where you have good art infrastructure — museums, a strong gallery system, he says, “in Asia, like nowhere else, collectors are today’s main actors.”

Organizers expect more than 40,000 visitors, a 25% increase from 2011, and they have classified 1,000 of them as “collectors.” […]

“Why not become a scene for collectors to dialogue in a region so fragmented?” Mr. Rudolf asks. “We want to bring together leading collectors in Asia, like a Rotary Club. No obligation, but where they are in a circle and communicate and know each other’s art.” […]

“In Asia, people are influenced by who big collectors are buying,” says Sylvain Levy, a real-estate investor who is known for his extensive Chinese art collection. “People get ‘inspired.’”

At This Show, Collectors Rule (SceneAsia/The Wall Street Journal)

Photos via Artitute