Art Stage Singapore 2019 is dead, but its ghosts are left wandering the empty booths. Canceling one of the region’s biggest contemporary art shows just a week before it was due to kick off is something many would describe as a “dick move.”
No doubt agreeing with that sentiment are the 45 participating galleries that had been planning to showcase their exhibits at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre right up until Wednesday’s shocking news.
Many are understandably livid. They’d already sunk huge amounts of money into renting booths and arranging for artwork and installations to be delivered to the site.
One gallery, however, decided to do something about it.
In an email sent to Coconuts Singapore (and we’re guessing many other publications), a gallery consultant from Gnani Arts –a gallery in the Tanglin Shopping Centre that specializes in contemporary art from India — expressed her utter dismay over the art fair’s cancellation.
“As you can imagine, this has caused us a great deal of pain and disappointment, as we had invested money and effort into this fair,” wrote the gallery consultant.
Then, in a move suitably dramatic for the art world, she invited email recipients to a “dialogue” at the gallery that would see them haul out the artworks intended for Art Stage exhibition — and destroy them.
“We shall display our paintings that were intended for Art Stage and we shall destroy our work for all the world to see,” she wrote, adding that a group of local and international artists will be present at the demonstration that was scheduled to take place earlier this afternoon.
‘With a heavy heart’
It would have been pretty bold and absolutely theatrical move — if the gallery had actually followed through their plans. In response to our follow-up questions about the event, the consultant was sad to declare that there won’t be any destroying of artworks after all.
“Since our announcement, we have received a series of distressing phone calls and cautionary advice from our friends and collectors, our well-wishers, who do not want us to go ahead with this event,” she wrote in an email, apologizing for any “discomfort” caused. Editor: No discomfort here, but thanks the same.
“So it is with a heavy heart that we must cancel this event and hope to make our voices known in some other manner.”
Other angry galleries
The anger expressed by Gnani Arts and many other galleries is clearly justified. According to a joint statement by the National Arts Council, the Economic Development Board and Singapore Tourism Board, there had been no hints from Art Stage organizers about any potential cancellation.
“It is unfortunate that exhibitors, partners, and collectors who had planned to take part in the fair will be impacted by this development,” the government agencies wrote.
Gallerists who spoke to The Straits Times also expressed their displeasure at the art fair being called off suddenly.
“How can we justify this to our artists? We spent money upfront to create the artworks, we invested a lot of money shipping from Europe and New York,” ST quoted a gallery chairman.
Another gallery director ST spoke to stated that his gallery had spent a “five-figure” sum to participate in the fair, which they will now try to recover through insurance.
