15 Minutes with LORENZO RUDOLF
Ar t Stage Singapore 2014 is slated to be its biggest yet. Fair Director Lorenzo Rudolf talks to BAZAAR about the strong Asian focus and other highlights of this international ar t fair
How will Art Stage Singapore 2014 be different from previous instalments?
We’re doing something regarded as revolutionary for an art fair. An art fair normally has general booths that feature galleries. We have that, but since we are in Asia, which is a segmented continent [due to different cultures and languages], we have the responsibility to build bridges and create dialogues. We have created different platforms that represent different parts of Asia—Southeast Asia, India, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea—and Australia. Every platform is like a mini museum and will showcase artists’ works curated to fit into the contemporary art landscape of each country or region.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Art Stage Singapore is a continuation of my journey in the art world. [Rudolf was the former director at the widely acclaimed Art Basel and spearheaded Art Basel Miami Beach.] I think Southeast Asia has incredible potential and I want to build up Singapore as a contemporary art hub as well as support and promote Asian creativity. To be an active part of the [art] ecosystem [in Asia] is thrilling and this is what drives me.
And your biggest challenge at work?
A world without challenges is boring. I look for challenges. The art scene in Southeast Asia is not as developed as that of the Western world. You have great artists and art galleries but there’s a need to bring them into the global game—that’s really a big challenge. [One way to do so is to] create an art fair that serves its function and grows it further. To tackle this, you have to understand different cultures as well as educate people and develop the market.
Quantity versus quality —what’s more important in an art fair?
The goal of an art fair is not only to sell square metres of booth space to galleries; art has nothing to do with quantity, it has to do with content, and that [is related] to quality. When we put together a show, we have to give visitors the security that they will find good art. This is what makes a fair important in the global context. Also, quality work doesn’t necessarily mean it’s expensive. We have [affordable] works from young emerging artists that are very good.
Any advice for potential buyers?
Buying art is linked to emotions; it’s like choosing a boyfriend. Buy what you like... because you have to live with it. The more you are confronted with art, in other words, the more art you see, the more you will understand what is good art and what you like. The biggest and most valuable collections in this world were put together with the heart and not with the ears.