We speak to the women shaking up the art world in Asia.
We speak to the women shaking up the art world in Asia.
THE GALLERISTS
URSULA SULLIVAN AND JOANNA STRUMPF
Owners, Sullivan+Strumpf Gallery
Ursula Sullivan and Joanna Strumpf have just celebrated the 10th anniversary of their gallery in Australia. Known for showcasing contemporary artists who have gone on to rack up awards, the pair have just added another feather in their caps with the launch of Sullivan+Strumpf at Gillman Barracks. “We have loved Singapore since 2011, when we exhibited at the inaugural Art Stage Singapore,” says Sullivan. “Immediately, we could see the connection between the amazing artists that we show and the collectors of this dynamic city. It was only a matter of time before we decided to open here.”
THE ARTISTS ON SULLIVAN’S RADAR: “Keep your eye on Tim Silver—he is on the radar for so many curators right now. Look also to Hiromi Tango—she is on the rise; we are constantly amazed at the way her work is taken up by collectors on all sides of the globe.”
THE AUCTIONEER
BERNADETTE RANKINE
Director for Southeast Asia, Bonhams
Bernadette Rankine became Bonhams’ new Director for Southeast Asia in 2014. The dynamic trailblazer helped facilitate the move of the famed auction house’s Asia Week, which used to happen in London or New York, to Asia from 2017. “I think the rest of the art world needs to learn about contemporary Southeast Asian art, not just contemporary Chinese art or antiquity,” says Rankine. A patron of the National Gallery Singapore, Rankine says: “Art in Asia is a shy teenager. There is a lot of energy and great potential—the possibilities are all just beginning to be understood and realised.”
THE ARTIST ON RANKINE’S RADAR: “While I would love to plug a Singaporean, I am going to choose an artist from the Philippines— Raffy Napay, the son of a seamstress who is carrying on a traditional ‘craft’ in a very contemporary manner.”
THE MUSEUM CEO
CHONG SIAK CHING CEO, National Gallery Singapore
The woman who was crowned Outstanding CEO of the Year in 2009 showed that she wasn’t ready to rest on her laurels when she went on to launch the National Gallery Singapore in November last year. “Art in Asia excels at unique and diverse stories,” says Chong. “Art was used as a medium to communicate a range of messages about political protest and war. These stories captured by the artists, some using local materials like lacquer or batik, are moving and deeply reflective of the region’s culture and history.” However, she believes the Asian art world needs to learn that “Art transcends geographical boundaries— experiences are shared, learning is mutual.”
THE ARTIST ON CHONG’S RADAR: “One artist I admire greatly is Iskandar Jalil. He was the recipient of the Cultural Medallion for Visual Arts in 1988. Iskandar’s works present a dialogue between the modern and the traditional, and help us to understand the cultures and aesthetics of the region and beyond.”
THE FAIR GURU
CAMILLA HEWITSON
Asia Regional Managing Director, Affordable Art Fair
After launching the Affordable Art Fair in Singapore, Hewitson has gone on to launch the fair in Hong Kong and now, Korea. “Launching the Affordable Art Fair in Singapore was of special importance to me as I was born here. I can’t quite believe that since we started, we have welcomed almost a quarter of a million visitors to our fairs in Singapore, Hong Kong and Seoul,” says Hewitson. However, the country that intrigues Hewitson most is Myanmar: “I would love to explore Myanmar to learn about its history of art and to meet some of the art figures driving the contemporary art scene there. We have seen an increased presence of Myanmar artists at the Singapore fair in the past two years, and their artwork has really left me wanting to see more.”
THE ARTISTS ON HEWITSON’S RADAR: “There are so many exciting contemporary artists out there, but I am keeping a close eye on Lavender Chang (Singapore), Iqi Qoror (Indonesia), The Connor Brothers (UK) and Angel Chen (Hong Kong) to name but a few… Please don’t ask me to choose just one!”
