At Singapore Art Week 2026, two champions of Southeast Asian Art come together for the first time

Singapore Art Week 2026 is going to open the season with more than the usual as ART SG, Southeast Asia's largest contemporary art fair, announces its partnership with S.E.A. Focus, the region's dedicated showcase for Southeast Asian contemporary art.

"We are especially excited to welcome the debut of S.E.A. Focus at ART SG, showcasing the region’s most compelling voices in an integrated platform for galleries, artists, and institutions to connect and engage," Art SG co-founder Magnus Renfrew said in a statement.

"Through expanded programming, innovative curatorial initiatives, and strengthened partnerships, ART SG reinforces Singapore’s role as a vibrant hub and gateway to the region, amid the rising prominence of Southeast Asian and Indo-Pacific contemporary art on the global stage" he added.

For the first time in its eight-year history, S.E.A. Focus will be held at Art SG, where more than 100 galleries from over 30 countries and territories are preparing to exhibit.

Among the participating galleries include Manila's The Drawing Room and Artinformal.

Homegrown gallery Silverlens, which now also has a New York location, will also be participating at Art SG. 

Top international galleries White Cube (London, Hong Kong, Paris, Seoul, and New York), Thaddeus Ropac (London, Paris, Salzburg, Seoul), and neugerriemschneider (Berlin) will also be there, as well as regional galleries Ames Yavuz, STPI, Richard Koh Fine Art, Haridas Contemporary, and Gajah Gallery (Manila, Singapore, Jakarta).

The partnership between Art SG and S.E.A. Focus will certainly turn the art fair into a key anchor event for the 10-day Singapore Art Week, as S.E.A. Focus highlights the important role of artists as storytellers and connectors in an increasingly complex world in its presentation "The Humane Agency."

In a statement, John Tung, Curator, S.E.A. Focus 2026,  said, "I am particularly interested in how Southeast Asian voices contribute to this conversation, and what their unique cultural and geopolitical perspectives can offer. As we navigate an increasingly complex era, I encourage audiences to look to artists as agents of change, and to remain open to the questions, provocations, and possibilities that their practices bring forth.”

The collaboration between the two comes at the heels of this year's edition of Art SG, where a Jigger Cruz piece fetched a whopping $28,000.

The fourth edition of Art SG will take place on January 23-25 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, during Singapore Art Week. It will hold a VIP Preview and Vernissage on January 22. Get your tickets here. — LA, GMA Integrated News