THE DRAW OF ART MARKETS

Popular fairs such as Public Garden and Craft Festival have become breeding grounds for up-and-coming local illustrators

- Amanda Chai Style Correspondent

"How much are you going to spend at Public Garden?" - so goes the opening refrain of many TikTok videos filmed around the art market known as one of Singapore's biggest local design fairs.

The rest of the script is simple: assuredly proclaim a low number, usually under $50, before splicing with a clip of the aftermath, where said person reveals sheepishly that he or she has spent upwards of $200 on stickers, keychains and other dinky knickknacks.

Once an insider favourite frequented mostly by crafts enthusiasts, the fair - founded in 2011 and held at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre - has become a hotly anticipated event on the shopping calendar.

It happens three to four times a year and brings together local and international independent designers across disciplines. Entry is free.

The recent edition of Public Garden that took place from Sept 27 to 28 was believed to be its most packed yet, drawing flak online from attendees who slammed the massive crowds and lack of a queue system on the first day.

Videos online showed two-way human traffic squeezed into the narrow aisles between booths, with little to no browsing room. By the last day, the organiser had put in place crowd control measures.

Public Garden's founding team is an elusive bunch who has chosen to remain anonymous, and did not respond to queries from The Straits Times. Illustrators and customers ST spoke to say the founders are near impossible to reach, with no one knowing the criteria on how they select brands for each edition.

Public Garden's rise in popularity, however, reflects a larger trend of art markets gaining ground in Singapore.

Mostly featuring local digital illustrators who have turned their art into stickers and small accessories, these markets add welcome vibrancy to a retail scene that has become marked by homogenous malls and the same few brands.