Five Questions With... TALENIA PHUA GAJARDO
Talenia Phua Gajardo is one of the young gallery owners ready to help us embrace the world of art in Singapore. This year Talenia launched the online gallery theartling.com
Tell us about your online gallery…
It’s a click-and-buy system so it’s quick and easy to make purchases. I work directly with artists as well as galleries to make their collections as visible and accessible as possible.
Do you attract different buyers with an online gallery?
So far it’s been a very mixed crowd as there are all sorts of pieces at various price points. The curated artworks are suitable for first-time buyers as well as seasoned collectors.
How long would you represent a non-selling artist
There’s no time limit. I’ve had artists that haven’t sold a single work for five months and then they have suddenly seen a surge in sales. I have faith in all the artists that come on board with us and their works can appeal to all sorts of palates.
How has the recession helped the art market?
The biggest impact has been that it has opened up doors to many younger contemporary artists and has made their works more accessible to a larger market
What do you think about art in Singapore?
It has come such a long way in an extremely short period of time. There are so many great new galleries and more are opening up — we’ve got Gillman Barracks and The National Art Gallery in 2015. The government is being very proactive with their arts programmes: it’s a very exciting time to be here..