AUGUST'S ART

As we gear up for Art SG, we speak to UBS' August Hatecke about the financial institution's support of the arts

- SUFFIAN HAKIM

I WAS RECENTLY ASKED what art meant to me. Art, to me, is an ecosystem. Artists aren't the alpha and omega of the art world. Rather, they are the conduit through which art happens, interpreting and then reproducing the energies of our world onto their mediums. But art also happens with the collective creation of culture and ideas in the spirit of our times. Art is a response to zeitgeists created by entire societies. Art does not happen in a vacuum, and art requires a platform - like Art SG.

An organisation that has historically supported these platforms is UBS. The financial institution is presenting Art SG this year, further cementing a culture around art and its ability to shape the future. As a matter of fact, UBS was the main sponsor for the inaugural Art Basel back in 1994. Nearly 30 years on, it continues to be one of the leading voices in art patronage.

At the heart of UBS support of this year's Art SG is August Hatecke, Co-Head Global Wealth Management Asia Pacific at UBS Global Wealth Management and Country Head of UBS Singapore. It's a lofty position to be sure, but when I got to sit down with him ahead of Art SG, I found a warm, eloquent man with a refined erudition. His responses to my questions were calm and measured - he was representing UBS, of course - but behind his words, you get the hint of a man who might be moved to passion under the gaze of the right artwork.

Tell us about the UBS art collection. What considerations go into procuring a work for the collection?

UBS has an incredible history as a supporter and collector of contemporary art for over 60 years. With a rich collection of paintings, photographs, drawings, sculptures and video art by some of the world's major artists from 1960 onward, we are recognised as having one of the most important corporate collections of contemporary art.