Decoding the existing mindset that many have of why art should be free
In challenging times, art may be what we sorely need to soothe our souls. First, slick moves are needed to connect artists and buyers
WHEN IT COMES TO ART, not many people are ready to reach for the bill. Whether it is appreciating a painting, sculpture, installation, or watching a performance, many prefer to do it without having to pay. There exists a mindset that art should be free for all. And that democratising art benefits society as a whole. This idea has merit, and has been acknowledged and supported by governments, as evidenced by the proliferation of public sculptures and installations.But not all art come under public domain, because art often takes a private and personal nature. Hence people collect pieces that speak directly to them or represent something of unique value to them.
With COVID-19 raging on globally, and economic hardship hitting almost everyone, art dealers and curators are finding that people are even more reluctant to open their wallets than ever, prioritising their resources for various essentials instead.
In a 2017 Straits Times report, it was cited that the Singapore government supported about 80 per cent of arts and heritage funding, or about SGD 595.7 million, through the National Arts Council (NAC). But year on year, donations in cash and kind to the arts scene have be dwindling considerably ‒ by almost half. A 2015 report cited SGD 64.7 million down from SGD 136.1 million.
The arts ‒ which comprise theatre, dance, traditional arts, visual arts,
music, and literature ‒ in Singapore are mainly funded by the state, unlike in other countries such as the United States, where they are largely supported through private donors and foundations. In fact, by 2019, government funding for arts and cultural events in Singapore was estimated to reach SGD 495.86 million, an increase from 2018. In that year, the majority of funding went to the arts and heritage sector. Based on the latest figures for the COVID-19 Relief package for the
Arts in 2021 on NAC’s website, called the Arts & Culture Resilience Package (ACRP) Operating Grant, to help such arts organisation defray their operating costs. With about SGD 35,000 per organisation, the first tranche of SGD 50,000 to SGD 75,000 has already benefited some 220 organisations.
For the arts to evolve and adapt to the new normal, the future for arts philanthropy is set for a challenging path. To tackle this dilemma, NAC launched a broad-based online fundraising campaign in April
2020 ‒ A COVID-19 Rally for Singapore’s Arts ‒ whereby corporations, foundations, and the public were invited to partner NAC in supporting home-grown artistic talents. The campaign, which ran till December 2020, witnessed about 40 arts groups raise almost SGD 200,000 via the Giving.sg platform.
Another initiative The Sustain the Arts (stART) Fund was also launched in March 2020 as a joint initiative by NAC and the private sector to boost the longer-term financial sustainability of smaller arts organisations and foster a culture of giving to the arts.
In reality, for many private organisations, giving to the arts is not a new initiative. UOL Group Limited has always been kind to support artistic endeavours put out by special needs communities through organisations such as Very Special Arts and Pathlight School. Their role is to nurture Singapore’s art scene.
Liam Wee Sin, UOL Group’s chief executive, opined, “Art connects people and enriches lives. As a property group with a role in developing the built environment, our collaborations with various partners enable us to contribute to an environment where everyone has easy access to art, driven by our desire to support an inclusive community and build a vibrant city.”
ACCESSIBLE ART
It is important for art to be accessible and affordable in Singapore. Even the Louvre in Paris made its entire collection of 480,000 works accessible to the public from home, without the need to jostle crowds, in March 2020, Many museums around the world also explored the virtual route. The global pandemic prompted them to introduce “online galleries” which were as close as the real deal. Some may say the grand old dame Louvre might be late on this new-fangled digital experience but it’s better late than nothing really.
This massive online collection put forth by Louvre covers a staggering array of online exhibits such as objects, sculptures, paintings, engravings, sketches to name a few, all across the museum’s galleries. It even covers those of the Musée National Eugène Delacroix. As the pandemic ensues, many Paris’ museums have all shuttered under the lockdown. This epic collection will definitely keep you glued to your screen for a very long time.
For commercial galleries, being accessible is another means to get loyal fans or new audiences. In a sense, it’s an opportunity to appeal to a wider public by giving virtual access to these art pieces. It appears to be a perfect solution during these cautious times.
AFFORDABLE ART
When it comes to affordable art, some galleries have interesting strategies to attract new audiences and buyers. Sebastien Chen, the managing director of Art & City Pte Ltd, the holding company that franchised Carré d’artistes into Singapore may be new to the scene here, but in truth, 2021 marks the 20th Anniversary of Carré d’artistes as the first gallery was opened in Aix-en-Provence, France.
Chen shared that the gallery is currently promoting and selling artworks at a fixed price based on the size of the piece, which is the only art gallery in Singapore to do so. Carré d’artistes, which has more than 30 venues globally (including Amsterdam, Beijing, Barcelona, Istanbul, Moscow), offers over 600 unique and original artworks in varied styles, starting at an affordable SGD 190 for the smallest size.
Just how do they keep prices affordable? Carré d’artistes practices and promotes openness between the buyers and the artists and removes any obscure aspect of the art market in particular for first-time buyers. So, if you’re in the mood to purchase affordable art to decorate your home, or even start your own art collection, such galleries are a great foundation.
A unique feature at Carré d’artistes is that the artworks are all placed in open display racks to emulate a retail experience. Buyers can hold and scrutinise artworks at close proximity and even request the painting to be removed from the plastic slip. What’s more, buyers can also try the art pieces in different frames on the gallery’s demo wall in order to visualise how they will fit in their home before making the purchase. All this is useful and help first-time buyers make informed decisions. Best of all, there are four sizes of small to medium artworks available: ranging from 13cmx13cm, 19cmx19cm, 25cmx25cm, and 36cmx36cm. The gallery also sells artwork in larger formats of 50cmx50cm, 80cmx80cm and 100x100cm.
“In people’s minds, art is often associated with pieces reaching recordbreaking multimillion-dollar prices through auction-houses, but there are many affordable artworks that can fit every budget,” said Chen. On the subject of whether the artistic essence of such artworks be lost when it becomes affordable, he emphasised, “It is not correct to value an artwork only on its price. It is wrong (but easy) to think that an artwork with a higher price must be superior to a lower-priced one. The artist creates artworks as expressions or visions and not necessarily with the idea for it to fetch any kind of price. But of course, artists need to make a living for art to be kept creative. I believe what is important are the intangible psychological benefits and well-being an artwork can bring into our lives.”
He is excited about the virtual development. “Art is becoming within reach for everyone. You do not need to have a lot of knowledge of art to understand it. You just need to treat it with simplicity by looking at it and coming up with your own opinion or interpretation.”
Chen also supports free-for-all access to many museums and art galleries across the world. He’s all for it as long as they can sustain the operating costs and be able to acquire new artworks to enrich their collection and inspire audiences. This can pave the way for art to be within reach for everyone.
Pwee Keng Hock of Utterly Art chimed in. “As a gallery, we subscribe to the credo that art need not be expensive, and that the more affordable it is, the more people can own something precious and individual to serve as a source of joy or inspiration to them.”
Pwee added, “Art which is affordable would automatically reach out to a wider segment of the population, which is a good thing. The
masses deserve engagement with the visual arts ‒ the fine arts need not inspire only the rich, but should also enliven the existence of everyone, provided its accessibility isn’t gated by high price points and exclusive events. Affordable art is accessible art, and a lower price democratises its availability to the average wage earner, who can entertain the idea of bringing home something cheerful for the home.”
Pwee believes museums offering free-art-for-all access can help to democratise the accessibility of art. He feels positive about the NAC’s programme to encourage artists to make larger-scale public works of art for display in our neighbourhoods and the heartlands. In this way, members of the public can suddenly encounter artworks in their vicinity, and these unexpected art encounters may drive viewership, provoke thought about the craft of artmaking, and stimulate further interest in the visual arts.
Another supporter of the free-art-for-all access David Fu, director of Auction 33, quipped, “It is good to see art from a different continuum from affordable to the ultra-expensive. Having affordable art would cater to a different market segment, a market that sees great potential as there is a broader base of the population who will be able to afford this art.
Fu believes that the public has been enjoying more and more of such free-for-all art exhibitions. In fact, he cites that more such installations are found in community spaces, further beautifying the surroundings. However, he would like to encourage more of such patrons to support the commissioning of such works to make these works available for more people to see. Fu also believes that artworks do not necessarily diminish in their value or artistic essence because art can be executed via different techniques and concepts to convey different themes, but it’s up to the public to consume and interpret it. It only diminishes in value when someone resorts to making repetitive works in large volumes.
So accessible or affordable art is here to stay and it’s becoming a sizeable market where more and more people can appreciate artworks without geographical limitations, or access and buy small artworks in affordable ways. Either way, art needs more views amid the much lesser footfall in galleries or commercial shops, that way art ‒ through critiquing, admiring, education ‒ can evolve and inspire our lives.
“ART IS BECOMING WITHIN REACH FOR EVERYONE. YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE OF ART TO UNDERSTAND IT. YOU JUST NEED TO TREAT IT WITH SIMPLICITY BY LOOKING AT IT AND COMING UP WITH YOUR OWN OPINION OR INTERPRETATION.” – SEBASTIEN CHEN, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF ART & CITY PTE LTD