Art Stage Singapore

THE ART WORLD is not exempt from the geopolitical turbulence of 2016. Trump, “Brexit,” and the unexpected wave of populist rabblerousing sweeping the globe weigh on the minds of the cognoscenti. “Just before I came here, I was at Tina Fernandez’s gallery and we had some coffee and a chat. After five minutes, we were already discussing where are we going, where is this world going, where is this art world going?,” said Lorenzo Rudolf, the Swiss impresario who founded Art Stage Singapore, during a press conference held in December at Gallery Vask in Makati City.

Mr. Rudolf has no answers to these Gauguinlike questions but he does know that the art market’s frenzied years are done. “We can no longer speak about art only in numbers,” he said. “We all have to think about in which direction we want to develop, which direction we want to position ourselves. Galleries have to think about that. Art fairs have to think about that. Sooner or later, probably all the artists. We are at the beginning of a really interesting period because I am more than convinced that art will become more radical and more political.” He added that the artist should — even more — be seen as someone who can contribute to daily debates: “He is like a seismograph of our times.”

Art Stage Singapore, which runs from Jan. 12-15 at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, kicks off the 2017 art calendar after a rough year. Mr. Rudolf ticked off the signs of a cooling market: Art Basel — like the International Contemporary Art Fair in Paris — was “quiet” compared to previous editions; big auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s reported declines in auction sales during the first half of 2016; and Compagnie Financière Richemont SA announced in September that it expected sales to tumble by 45% (“We have to be clear that the top part of the art market functions like the luxury market,” said Mr. Rudolf, explaining why Richemont, which owns a number of prestigious luxury goods companies, was pertinent to the discussion).

Likewise, “The Contemporary Art Market Report 2016,” released by Artprice in October, observed that between July 2015 and June 2016, the contemporary art segment contracted by more than a quarter, with global auction turnover tallying $ 1.5 billion compared with $ 2.1 billion in the previous 12-month period.

“The times which are not so easy — which are difficult — are also times of chances,” said Mr. Rudolf. “We have always two possibilities: either we react, we look what happens, and then we follow; or we try to act and take things into our own hands, to be courageous, to be creative, and, really, to take advantage of the time. I prefer much more the second solution than the first one.”

‘A FORUM WITH A FAIR’

In response to the market downturn, Art Stage Singapore is rejiggering its program. “At the end of the journey, we would like to be a forum with an art fair. That means the market is just one part of a bigger frame,” said Mr. Rudolf. In 2016, the fair introduced the Southeast Asia Forum, an interdisciplinary exchange led by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, who tackled the topic of urbanization. This year, the forum’s umbrella theme is capitalism and its marquee talk — titled “Art + Money — A Dangerous Liaison?” — features Franz Schultheis, a professor of sociology at University of St. Gallen in Switerland who co-authored What People Do For Art and When Art Meets Money: Encounters at Art Basel; and Alain Servais, a Brussels-based investment banker and collector known for his outspoken art-centric Twitter feed.

The forum is complemented by a curated exhibition revolving around the same theme — capitalism. Big stars like textbased artist Jenny Holzer (USA) will be joined by Southeast Asian artists, three of whom are from the Philippines: Jose Tence “Bogie” Ruiz, Norberto “Peewee” Roldan, and Carlos Celdran. Furthermore, as a nod to the clout of collectors in Southeast Asia, Art Stage Singapore has also resurrected Collectors’ Stage, which was part of the fair’s first edition in 2011. “An important part in this region is played by the collectors. There is no country here where the best contemporary works are not in the hands of private collectors,” said Mr. Rudolf, who then conceded that the Philippines was an exception because of its public museums.

“In many other countries, even if you have very strong art scenes, you do not really have competitive museums and everything is really in the hands of collectors,” he continued. “Now, thank God, certain collectors are beginning to move, beginning to take a certain responsibility toward the public by opening museums — that means they are very, very crucial.” Private initiatives in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam are opening in the near future.

TO BE RELEVANT, SE ASIA MUST UNITE

The Swiss impresario is adamant that the region’s art fiefdoms must consolidate under one banner in order to be taken seriously. “I’ll give you a stupid example,” said Mr. Rudolf, “if four Filipino galleries apply for Art Basel and three Indonesian galleries apply for Art Basel and, maybe, a Malayan, a Thai, and a Singaporean — probably the best possible result is that two galleries will be accepted somewhere with a very specific project.”

He elaborated that every country, as interesting it is, is “too small and too weak.” Cautioned Mr. Rudolf: “Often, in times like these, the country’s reaction is to close, to go more national. I think it’s the worst you can do. You’re cutting yourself off somewhere.”

What if, he countered, a single entity representing Southeast Asia instead proposed a 200- square- meter exhibition to Art Basel? “They can no more look away. And they probably wouldn’t want to look away. You see? I think we really need to think about how this mechanism works and what it means. Don’t forget that in this entire global complex, you are competing against scenes like China, like America — New York. How are you going to compete?”

In the interim, the region’s best artists, including auction stars Ronald Ventura (Philippines) and I Nyoman Masriadi (Indonesia), have been snapped up by international galleries who now represent these artists in the larger art community.

“Let’s be clear also that there is no blaming,” said Mr. Rudolf. “There is not one gallery in Southeast Asia which — regarding professionalism, seriousness, aggressiveness, network, and capital — can compete with international galleries. If you cannot do it alone, then, maybe, join together and move forward. In times of change and weakness of the market, it’s much easier to do that than in the hype of the market.” By expanding into Indonesia with Art Stage Jakarta in 2016 and rallying other stakeholders to his cause, Mr. Rudolf is presenting himself as a white knight. John McDonald, art critic for the Sydney Morning Herald, described the move as part of Mr. Rudolf’s “indefatigable... efforts to ignite a Southeast Asian art market that still resembles a series of spot fires rather than a raging inferno.” Asked if there was another country in his sights, Mr. Rudolf replied that, objectively, the Philippines was an ideal candidate owing to a “strong” art market and “best functioning art scene.” But, he pointed out, the country already has a successful fair — Art Fair Philippines — which happens in February. “There are other ways we can matchmake and foster this cooperation,” said Mr. Rudolf. “Our role should not be like McDonald’s, opening everywhere a branch. At the end, we also don’t want to cannibalize ourselves.”

The Art Stage founder sees opportunity in these turbulent times. “I have the impression that we are at the beginning of a new game of poker. The cards have been distributed in a new way and everybody has a another joker to deal with,” he said. “All these things will affect culture, without any doubt. It’s going to be interesting for art. Art will become more substantial.”