Yayoi Kusama, Japan

Broke and tired, Kusama returned to Tokyo from New York in 1973, before checking herself into a mental hospital in 1977. She lived in obscurity until a retrospective of her work in New York in 1989 brought her fame, fortune and later, a collaboration with Louis Vuitton. Now, many years on, the polka dot-loving, octogenarian artist shows no signs of slowing down. Not only has she just held landmark exhibitions in L.A., Tokyo and Singapore, she has also just opened her own museum in Shinjuku in October. 

Blue Flower by Takashi Murakami at Opera Gallery.

Takashi Murakami, Japan

As a reaction to his belief that contemporary Japanese art was adopting too many Western techniques, Murakami blended traditional Japanese art styles with his love of anime. It caught the eye of Louis Vuitton, and musician and art collector Pharrell Williams, whom he went on to collaborate with on projects for Billionaire Boys Club and Art Basel Miami. A retrospective of Murakami’s works was

King of Lies by Nyoman Masriadi

Ai Weiwei, China

The Chinese artist turned to activism when he found out that 5,000 schoolchildren died in a “tofu dregs” (a phrase referring to poorly constructed buildings) school. He never stopped campaigning—even when he was put under house arrest and had his passport revoked for four years. Now based in Berlin, his latest body of work, “Good Fences Make Good Neighbours” sees 300 installations being erected in the streets of New York (from now till February 2018) as a statement of the plight of refugees.

Liu Bolin, China

The Bejing-based artist is famed for hiding himself in his works using chameleon-like techniques. Think: His “Hiding in the City” series, which highlighted China’s social problems and his 2015 project, “Migrants”, which focused on the migratory route of Africans. While his portfolio has grown to include collaborations with musicians, magazines and fashion brands such as Moncler—or even his own (he launched a ready-to-wear collection at New York Fashion Week spring/summer 2018)—Liu still continues to create political works.

Yue Minjun, China

When it was sold for US$5.9 million in 2007 at Sotheby’s in London, Yue’s The Execution was the most expensive painting by a Chinese contemporary artist. This immediately put him on the international stage, which is where Yue has remained ever since. He has also collaborated with brands such as Hublot and peers like KAWS. 

Salute by Yue Minjun

Iskandar Jalil, Singapore

The work of this Singaporean ceramicist can be found in the collections of the Sultan of Brunei, former U.S. President George Bush and Sweden’s Nationalmuseum. He has received numerous accolades, including Singapore’s highest honour, the Cultural Medallion for Visual Arts, and The Order of the Rising Sun, awarded to him by the Emperor of Japan.

Ronald Ventura, Philippines

Ventura’s multi-layered works have made him possibly the most sought-after artist in the Philippines. His hyperrealistic pieces have bieces have been shown at the Prague and Nanjing Biennales, and he presented his first solo show in the U.S. in 2009. In 2011, his work Greyhound sold at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong for US$1.1 million. 

Looks from Liu Bolin’s spring/ summer 2018 collection

Nyoman Masriadi, Indonesia

Masriadi was the first Indonesian to break the US$1 million barrier at auction. His maiden show at the Singapore Art Museum, “Masriadi: Black is My Last Weapon”, organised by Gajah Gallery in 2008, showed the evolution of his work across his 30-year career, from his signature black figures to the mixing of Balinese influences with pop culture. 

Wild State of Mind (Stripes Series I) by Ronald Ventura at Tyler Rollins Fine Art.

Gaurav Kripalani, Singapore

Three Tony Award nominations, and a collaboration with The Old Vic in London and BAM in New York helped put Kripalani on the map. The Artistic Director of the Singapore Repertory Theatre since 1996 has been named the Festival Director for the Singapore International Festival of Arts from now until 2020.

Camilla Hewitson, Hong Kong-based

After having set up Art Dubai in the U.A.E., Hewitson flew to Singapore to help launch Affordable Art Fair (AAF) in the Lion City, which delivers what its name promises: Art that doesn’t break the bank. In her new role as Managing Director for the region, she has since launched two more fairs—AAF Hong Kong and AAF Seoul.

Bernadette Rankine, Singapore

The former Director of Opera Gallery, Rankine is now the Director for Bonhams Southeast Asia. On top of overseeing one of the largest auction houses in Asia, she is also a supporter of emerging talent, and is involved in philanthropic activities for organisations including the Singapore Lyric Opera, and The Business Times Budding Art Fund. 

Philip Tinari, China-based

The multi-hyphenate writer, art professor and director of the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art is recognised as one of the most knowledgeable people on Chinese contemporary art. His head start came when he held his first exhibition at the age of 21, before launching a bilingual magazine for the Chinese art world.

Lorenz Helbling, China-based

The owner of ShanghART Gallery has been showcasing artists from China since 1996. He has taken Xu Zhen’s XUZHEN Supermarket to Frieze London, artist duo Birdhead (made up of Ji Weiyu and Song Tao) to Tate Modern, and 11 of his artists showed at a recent Guggenheim exhibition. 

Kelly Ying, China

Ying started her career in the fashion industry, but now focuses primarily on the art world, having become one of China’s most well- known art collectors. She co-founded the renowned Art021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair, which attracts names such as Gagosian, David Zwirner and Hauser & Wirth to its roster. 

Adrian Cheng, China

The real estate scion is a trustee of the Royal Academy of Arts, a board director of the National Museum of China Foundation and on the visiting committee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He also founded the not-for-profit K11 Art Foundation, which, among other things, offers a residency programme for Chinese artists at New York’s New Museum.

Michael Tay, Singapore

During his time as the Singaporean ambassador to Russia, Tay commissioned a symphony by a prominent Russian composer about Singapore. His post-government roles have seen him further develop Singapore’s artistic position globally, including launching the Singapore International Jazz Festival and the Foundation for the Arts and Social Enterprise.

Lorenzo Rudolf, Singapore-based

The Swiss art guru found fame when he became the Director of Art Basel and turned a classic trade fair into the flagship show of the art world. During his tenure, he launched Art Basel Miami Beach before doing the same with Art Stage Singapore and Jakarta, which showcase the work of Southeast Asia.

Soichiro Fukutake, Japan

One of Japan’s richest people, the educational entrepreneur is determined to share his love of art—and proved it by launching the contemporary art museum Benesse Art Site on the islands of Naoshima, Teshima and Inujima. He also launched the Benesse Prize, which was awarded for the first time in Asia at the Singapore Art Museum last year, and previously at the Venice Biennale.

The Artling, Singapore

In addition to selling curated artworks online, the team behind The Artling launched luxury marketplace, Luxglove, and also acquired Hong Kongbased art website, Artshare. 

Art Loft Asia, Singapore

This innovative platform gives you the chance to buy or rent contemporary artworks from a curated roster of emerging artists across Asia.

Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong

This non-profit organisation documents the history of recent art in Asia, offering one of the most comprehensive free collections to the public.

Robbie Antonio, Philippines

The famous art collector is known for filling his Rem Koolhaas-designed house, Stealth, with portraits of himself. The collection features 35 works created by renowned artists such as Takashi Murakami, Julian Schnabel and Kenny Scharf. 

Budi Tek, Indonesia

After he started amassing artworks 10 years ago, the farming magnate is now one of the most prolific collectors in the region. Over 1,000 works from his collection are on display at the Yuz Museum, which he opened in a former hangar in Shanghai. He also plans to launch an art park in Bali.

Kim Chang-Il, Korea

The self-made millionaire owns one of the largest contemporary art collections in the world, featuring close to 4,000 pieces by the likes of Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst. He owns the Arario Museum in Korea and the Arario Gallery, which can be found in Korea and China.

Yusaku Maezawa, Japan

Who better than a fashion mogul to show the rest of the world how to shop, albeit for art? The billionaire and founder of the Contemporary Art Foundation in Tokyo—and of Japan’s largest online fashion mall, Zozotown—was reported to have spent US$110.5 million on a JeanMichel Basquiat painting at Sotheby’s last May. This joins his collection of works by Jeff Koons and Richard Prince. 

Haryanto Adikoesoemo, Indonesia

The tycoon has spent the past 25 years accruing an 800piece portfolio featuring works by artists such as Raden Saleh and Andy Warhol. Inspired by museums like the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C., where he is a board member, in November 2017, Adikoesoemo opened the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN), Jakarta.

Liu Yiqian, China

The chairman of the Sunline Group and his wife, Wang Wei, have a collection that could put most museums to shame, including a Modigliani painting purchased at US$170.4 million, the second most expensive artwork ever sold. The couple run the Long Museum, a private art institution with three branches in China.

Jean Michel Beurdeley, Thailand

Beurdeley and his late wife Patsri Bunnag spent 30 years building a huge collection of contemporary Asian art, including pieces by Thai artists such as Montien Boonma and Chatchai Puipia, which are now on show in the MAIIAM Museum of Contemporary Art. 

Eric Bunnag Booth, Thailand

Booth helped his father Jean Michel Beurdeley convert a warehouse in Chiang Mai into MAIIAM, which houses the family’s collection.

Doryun Chong, Hong Kong

Chong has the enviable role of being the chief curator of the highly anticipated M+ Hong Kong, which is expected to open in 2019. He was one of the curators behind the Hong Kong presentation at the 56 th Venice Biennale, and has a CV that includes the MoMA, the Walker Art Center and San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum.

Christina Li, Hong Kong

This super curator is the woman behind New Yorkbased artist Wu Tsang’s site-specif ic installation at Art Basel Hong Kong. Her involvement with the work—which centres around a poem by the 19 th century female warrior and poet Qiu Jin—even saw Li helping to provide the translation. The curator also founded a short story collection with the Singaporean artist Heman Chong and is on the founding team of Kunsthalle for Music, which will be presented at Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art in 2018.

Hou Hanru, China

The Artistic Director of MAXXI in Rome is renowned for his promotion of Chinese contemporary art. He has curated numerous exhibitions, including the Shanghai Biennale, Gwangju Biennale and the Chinese Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The art guru has also been asked to consult at the Guggenheim and has been invited to join judging panels for the famed Hugo Boss Prize and Bulgari Art Award.

Eugene Tan, Singapore

When the National Gallery Singapore opened in 2015, it was Tan whom they asked to curate the collection as its Director. Tan was also instrumental in launching Gillman Barracks, Singapore’s f irst art enclave, and is part of the advisory board of the inaugural Bangkok Art Biennale.