Art Stage Singapore Cancelled Days Before Scheduled Opening
On January 16, less than ten days before Art Stage Singapore was set to open, the art fair announced its cancellation. The ninth edition of the fair was slated to take place from January 25 to 27 at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre. Supporting governmental bodies—the National Arts Council, the Singapore Tourism Board and the Singapore Economic Development Board—remarked in a joint statement that it was a “commercial decision.”
Founder and president of the fair Lorenzo Rudolf cited a “difficult market situation” and “unequal competition” in an email sent to the 45 exhibitors. In the same statement, he apportioned blame on an unnamed fair held concurrently at Gillman Barracks—a reference to the inaugural SEA Focus fair—saying the new event had invited galleries to exhibit for a fraction of the price, leaving Art Stage Singapore “no other choice” than to shutter
