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Although diverse in his choices when purchasing art, preferring to buy whatever appeals to him, it is the artworks of recent decades that Stephane Le Pelletier truly connects with. “I go with what my heart guides me to; I’m more into contemporary art because it refl ects today’s society, and I see myself in the expression,” says Le Pelletier, director of Opera Gallery’s Asia Pacifi c arm.

Since Gilles Dyan established the fi rst Opera Gallery in Singapore, it has grown immensely, and now enjoys a strong presence at the heart of 11 countries worldwide. Le Pelletier’s packed schedule oft en requires him to visit the gallery’s branches in Hong Kong, Dubai, Seoul, and in the near future, China — where another two galleries will be inaugurated in Shanghai and Beijing. But it is the contemporary works of Korean artists that have caught his att ention.

Le Pelletier, a fan of Korean cuisine, explains that he is especially fond of how Korean contemporary artists defy traditional medium boundaries: “I like the way they express themselves, their techniques, and how they use a lot of mixed media.”

He is also in awe of their ability to use hair, sand and other basic materials to create powerful art. But att ention-grabbing aesthetics aside, Le Pelletier is confi dent that this rising nation’s creative output will continue to gain commercial and cultural value internationally.

Th is is why he has roped in a group of talented artists, which includes Kwon

Stephane Le Pelletier with L’observation

by gestin Alexandra

sTePhane Le PeLLeTier | oPerA GAllery (ASiA PACifiC)

Ki-Soo, Yim Tae Kyu, Lee Dong-Uk and Kim Chang Young, to be represented at Opera Gallery’s 8,000sq ft fl agship branch in Ion Orchard. Le Pelletier advises that these works are investment-worthy pieces for new collectors and feels that what these artists lack in experience, they make up for in originality.

However, he realised that his customers are becoming less concerned about art being an investment. “People want to please themselves today. And if it’s an investment, it’s a plus. Collectors are more open-minded now, and art is no longer just decorative. It is perceived as a new form of asset, lifestyle and status symbol,” he shares.

With the major art markets shift ing from the West to East, Le Pelletier says that the next few years will be an exciting phase as more locals and tourists, who are increasingly looking to Singapore as a travel and art destination, will patronise art galleries to discover emerging artists and expect to be surprised.

“Collectors are more open-minded now, and art is no longer just decorative. And if it’s an investment, it’s a plus. it is perceived as a new form of asset and status symbol”

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SUM of ARTSArt as investment, the rise of the Koreans,

Asia’s new collecting might... Top gallerists weigh in on the hottest issues in the art world now

BY MAViS ANg AND LAUreN TAN

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It all started with Terry Lee’s ever-expanding art collection amassed during his business trips while he was still working in the jewellery and crystal business. His hobby eventually led him to establish Art Seasons at Gemmill Lane in 2001, when his boss finally gave him the blessing to leave the corporate world to manage the gallery full-time. “It was like a dream,” he says.

Now into its 10th year, Art Seasons has built a reputation among frequent art goers as the go-to gallery for pioneering Asian contemporary works. The gallery’s niche owes itself to Lee’s profound knowledge and attachment to Chinese contemporary art, honed over the years as his collection grew.

“I like works that tell a social story or mimic a social status. And I like their humorous take on the political situations in China. Also, in the background, you see a lot of sympathy, a lot of sadness, about the evolution of Chinese culture,” Lee says of artists like Hui Xin, Zhu Wei and Yue Minjun.

When it comes to curating a show, Lee says that befriending the artist is always the first step. He speaks of the meeting and exchanging of ideas with the artists as his most enriching experience. “When there’s a curator involved, the concept has to be treated to the way we want. That’s where the fun is,” he explains.

Terry Lee with Meng Yi No.1 by Zhang Peng

Terry Lee | Art SeASonS GAllery

Art Seasons holds a show every month, and the growing number of young art buyers Lee receives at the current gallery at Kaki Bukit welcomes the surprises that he delivers. Just like the bold modern artworks, these professionals are much more vocal and showy in their lifestyle than their predecessors. And that is why contemporary art is gaining a strong following here.

Lee says that the already flourishing art scene here is indicative of a much bigger trend. As more artists focus on concepts rather than medium, it is more about the experience now. And as Lee ponders on the boundless possibilities of contemporary art, he concludes that “it will come to a point when art will be a lifestyle”.

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“When there’s a curator involved, the concept has to be treated to the way we want. That’s where the fun is”

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A lone man in a suit, complete with a fedora and briefcase, stands idle amid a sprawling pasture. And just like Chris Churcher, the subject in Andrew Baines’ painting The Alien has grown weary of the corporate world, and has gone out to experience the world beyond. “I decided to not follow the herd in the rat race and did my own thing,” Churcher says.

After 18 years as a forex trader, Churcher bid his nine-to-five routine farewell and opened Red Sea Gallery in 2001. And Baines is just one of 40 artists that the Dempsey Hill gallery represents. But just like all the art it features, Churcher has to personally like the art before he considers bringing it in. He says that it is the only way to pass his zeal on to the clients.

Churcher sources for art whenever he travels but he assures that he is diligent in what he does and will not blindly follow the scene. One case in point is the success of Anna Berezovskaya, a 24-year-old Russian painter. “I believe that some of the art that is now being introduced in

Chris ChurCher | red SeA GAllery

the market will age, and people will get bored with it. But with prodigies like Anna, her work is timeless,” Churcher shares. And despite Berezovskaya’s paintings being un-trendy in terms of subject matter, her recent solo exhibition at Red Sea Gallery sold out in one night.

Churcher has a good eye for what appeals. And he is confident that although Singapore is not a mature art-buying market, it has huge potential: “If you offer something to somebody, then you create an interest. And that’s the whole thing about Singapore. It is learning all the time.”

But what dismays him about many art collectors is that they tend to look for works of artists only in terms of their saleability. The simple advice he dishes out to enthusiasts who are looking to buy art as an investment is: “Buy what you like, and get lucky.” Because it is hard to predict an artist’s value in the near future, he says it is best to acquire a piece which you can truly admire for years to come.

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“Buy what you like, and get lucky”

Chris Churcher with imperial Pig by Huang Cheng

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Jasmine Tay, contemporary art champion and founder of Museum of Art & Design (MAD), is sipping on bottled water. We, on the other hand, are chomping away on Edison Chen M&Ms. Yes, as in candy pellets custom printed with the pop icon-turned-artist’s likeness. The M&Ms — an artwork by Chen titled Trapped in Candyland — is one of the many installations and paintings currently showing at the one-and-a-half-year-old MAD.

Given that you can get yourself to a sugar high right by a high-valued Zeng Fanzhi or Chen Yifei oil painting, this arts venue clearly isn’t the typical stuffy joint. And that’s the whole point. The art collector with an enviable bank account is not the only kind of patron Tay is after. She wants the young and inquisitive, too. For this reason the 20-year veteran gallerist has chosen to stage MAD as a museum rather than a gallery.

“If it’s a gallery, those who aren’t able to afford pieces will think twice about coming in. But a museum is for all,” shares the mother of two. “My intention is to have everyone come in to enjoy the space without fear. Educating about art and making it a part of their lives, especially for the kids, is more important.” And since the ordinary student may likely afford only the paraphernalia, but not the real deal, MAD’s range of in-house Yoshimoto Nara T-shirts, Chen Yifei postcards and

Jasmine Tay | MuSeuM of Art & deSiGn (MAd)

one-dollar M&Ms serve as an enticing complement to the museum’s selection of art costing thousands of dollars.

Not only is MAD a unique concept, Tay is also a gallerist with a difference — she is a Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts-trained painter who was represented by a gallery before she even got out of school. It was only years after she opened her first gallery — Jasmine Fine Arts in 1993 — that Tay stopped painting professionally. After dealing in the likes of Luo Zhongli (China’s leading realist painter), self-critique, very understandably, got the better of her.

“I know how hard it is for the artist,” says Tay, who currently takes pride in mentoring young artists like Singapore’s Jahan Loh, whose Cherry Poke series now fills a good portion of MAD’s exhibition space. “I don’t like artists who are too commercialised. I like artists who are fully committed to their art rather than those who get involved in sales. Sales should be left to the manager or agent.”

“i like artists who are fully committed to their art rather than those who get involved in sales. Sales should be left to the manager or agent”

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Jasmine Tay with Luncheon Meat by

Jahan Loh

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Singapore’s appreciation for art has grown “by leaps and bounds”, says co-founder of Utterly Art Dr Pwee Keng Hock. “So much so that Singapore is now in a very happy state of having a whole plethora of art activities, making it more difficult to attract an audience because there are so many events to choose from,” he says. When he was organising his Oktoberfest! exhibition, it opened on the same evening as at least four other gallery and museum functions.

Pwee, whose gallery showcases the work of established and emerging artists from around the region, is one of the vanguards to have enlivened the visual arts scene. In the last decade he has — with business partner Kenneth Tan — staged more than 300 exhibitions for some 300 artists. Many have subsequently won awards and had their artworks collected by museums or bid for at top-ranked auction houses.

Dr Pwee Keng hoCK | utterly Art

“We want to develop long-term relationships with our best artists and grow with them. We don’t believe in the flash-in-a-pan approach,” shares Pwee, a molecular biologist by training, collector by passion and gallery owner by trade. Artists such as Singaporeans Wong Shih Yaw, Boo Sze Yang and Martin Loh, and Filipinos Michael Cacnio and Andres Barrioquinto have even returned to Utterly Art for solo exhibitions a half dozen times each.

Although Pwee’s appreciation for art began in Europe — he made it a point to visit the museums of each European city he visited while still a student at Cambridge — it was practical considerations that led to Utterly Art’s specialisation in South-east Asian art. “We are from the region, we will not only know the art better, but it’s also easier to source for works and meet the artists,” he explains.

What are his personal preferences though? “My taste is quite catholic,” he says. “I’m interested in whatever attracts my eye. And that means art that isn’t minimalistic with, for example, just a splash of paint in the middle of an empty canvas. That’s not my style and you will find that that’s not the South-east Asian style as well. I prefer things to be more crafted, so there’s more to appreciate.”

And how many artworks are there in his personal collection? “You are only defined as a collector once your collection surpasses the amount of space you have to display them! A good estimate would be 300 to 400,” he shares.

“i’m interested in art that isn’t minimalistic. That’s not my style, and...that’s not the

South-east Asian style. i prefer things to be more crafted, so

there’s more to appreciate”

Dr Pwee Keng Hock with in the Beginning and Pleasure Alley by

Max Balatbat

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