A New Convergence

Art SG returns in January 2026 with renewed ambition, expanded programmes and the integration of Sea Focus, further shaping Singapore's role as Asia's global convening point for contemporary art

- Hashirin Nurin Hashimi

The fourth edition of Art SG arrives this January with a sharpened sense of purpose. As Southeast Asia's leading international art fair prepares to welcome top galleries, institutions and collectors to Singapore once again, its organisers see this moment as a defining threshold—one that will keep the fair’s momentum and reinforce the city’s position as a global convening point for contemporary art.

Art SG co-founder Magnus Renfrew observes a notable shift in how the world now conceives of Asia. “The terminology about how people talk about Asia has been shifting a little from Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pacific,” he notes—an evolution that he believes “shows greater relevance for Singapore”, which stands naturally as “the de facto and acknowledged hub of the Indo-Pacific”. It is a view increasingly echoed by the art world. As attention expands beyond the historically dominant centres of East Asia, Southeast Asia—home to 600 million people and a rapidly evolving creative ecosystem—has emerged as a site of accelerating interest. Renfrew sees this as both cultural opportunity and market logic: a region of Europe-equivalent scale that has long merited its own internationally respected platform.