When ART SG opens its doors at Marina Bay Sands in January 2026, the fair will look and feel different from every edition before it. Now in its fourth year, Southeast Asia’s largest international art fair is transforming into a wider cultural ecosystem, one that reflects how rapidly the region’s artistic landscape is developing.

Spearheaded by Founding and Lead Partner UBS, ART SG 2026 brings together 106 galleries from over 30 countries and territories, marking its most ambitious edition yet. But the real shift lies in the fair’s new partnerships, curatorial programming, and its strengthened commitment to elevating voices from Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific.

And for the first time, the homegrown platform S.E.A. Focus—long regarded as a crucial showcase of Southeast Asian contemporary art—joins the fair under the same roof, offering visitors a seamless experience and galleries a unified marketplace. Its arrival marks a milestone for Singapore Art Week, signalling a more integrated vision for the region’s cultural future.

S.E.A. Focus enters ART SG with the curatorial theme “The Humane Agency,” led by curator John Z.W. Tung with artistic consultation from Emi Eu, Executive Director of STPI. The exhibition explores artists as agents of compassion amid global tensions—war and ecological crisis, mass migration and fractured belonging.

Its gallery roster spans the region’s leading names—Richard Koh Fine Art, Silverlens, ShanghART, STPI, The Drawing Room, Artinformal, Gajah Gallery, and many more—alongside artists such as Tang Da Wu, Arahmaiani, and Nicole Coson. Despite joining the fair’s extensive footprint, S.E.A. Focus retains its distinctive identity: intimate, incisive, and unwaveringly Southeast Asian in perspective.

“This collaboration opens an exciting new chapter,” says Emi Eu. “It amplifies the unique voices of Southeast Asia to a global audience.”

For ART SG co-founder Magnus Renfrew, the 2026 edition reflects Southeast Asia’s growing prominence in the global art world. “With the region’s collector base and cultural ecosystem maturing significantly, ART SG reinforces Singapore’s role as a vibrant hub and gateway to the region,” he says.

UBS observes similar momentum. Recent findings from the Art Basel and UBS Survey of Global Collecting point to strong interest in emerging artists—particularly among Singapore’s female collectors—and a remarkably optimistic outlook for the global art market.

Against this backdrop, UBS deepens its commitment with the launch of the ART SG FUTURES Prize, a USD 10,000 award recognizing an outstanding emerging artist in the fair’s FUTURES sector. UBS will also present Melati Suryodarmo’s iconic performance-video work I Love You (2007) at the UBS Art Studio.

Alongside returning giants—White Cube, Thaddaeus Ropac, neugerriemschneider, Annely Juda Fine Art, Goodman Gallery, Ota Fine Arts—an exciting cast of newcomers adds fresh energy. Castelli Gallery (New York) and Ashvita’s (Chennai) make their debut, while galleries such as Harper’s Gallery and Wei-Ling Gallery return after a hiatus.

The fair continues to highlight Southeast Asian voices through regional pillars like Ames Yavuz, STPI, Sullivan+Strumpf, Richard Koh Fine Art, and Gajah Gallery. Together they anchor ART SG’s identity as the region’s definitive marketplace.

2026 marks the launch of several major curatorial initiatives that expand ART SG beyond the traditional booth model:

1. TVS Initiative for Indian and South Asian Contemporary Art

A first-of-its-kind cultural sponsorship, the initiative brings sharp focus to South Asia’s contemporary art scene. Curated with guidance from Studio Public Memory and led by Srinivas Aditya Mopidevi, the program includes a dedicated pavilion—South Asia Insights—featuring Vadehra Art Gallery, LATITUDE 28, Sakshi Gallery and more.

2. Dedicated Performance Art Sector

In collaboration with Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum (RAM), ART SG introduces a new Performance Art sector curated by RAM’s Executive Director and Chief Curator X-Zhu Nowell. Singaporean artist John Clang will present three works blending ritual, domesticity, and astrology, creating intimate, evolving encounters.

3. Wan Hai Hotel: Singapore Strait

RAM and ART SG bring the innovative Wan Hai Hotel exhibition beyond Shanghai for the first time, transforming the lobby of The Warehouse Hotel into an immersive, multi-sensory experience. Works by Ho Tzu Nyen, Stephanie Comilang, Martha Atienza, Ming Wong, Wantanee Siripattananuntakul, Dawn Ng, Robert Zhao, and others create a fluid world of film, installation, and performance.

4. Institutum x Hampi Art Labs Collaboration

A new partnership between Singapore’s Institutum and India’s Hampi Art Labs presents ecological research-based works from Robert Zhao and Atul Bhalla, developed within the storied UNESCO heritage site of Hampi.

The SAM ART SG Fund returns for its second year with SGD 150,000 dedicated to acquiring works from the fair for the Singapore Art Museum’s growing collection of international contemporary art seen through a Southeast Asian lens.
Last year’s acquisitions included works by Kim Yun Shin, Kapwani Kiwanga, and Lêna Bùi—signaling the museum’s focus on cross-cultural relevance and regional resonance.

As one of the anchor events of Singapore Art Week, ART SG 2026 will be complemented by a vibrant programme of exhibitions, talks, private collection tours, and museum activations across the city. From art institutions to independent spaces, Singapore’s cultural ecosystem comes into full view each January—and this edition promises its most integrated experience yet.

ART SG 2026 arrives at a moment when Southeast Asia’s creative energies are gaining unprecedented international attention. Through its expanded partnerships, bold curatorial initiatives, and commitment to cultivating new talent, the fair positions Singapore as both a marketplace and an evolving centre of artistic exchange.

As Fair Director Shuyin Yang puts it: “ART SG brings a wider array of regional voices to the forefront, fostering cross-regional dialogue and expanding the fair’s global reach.”

In a region defined by diversity and transformation, ART SG 2026 becomes a snapshot of Southeast Asia in motion, and a glimpse into the creative futures we are only beginning to imagine.

ART SG 2026 runs from 23rd to 25th January 2026 at Marina Bay Sands. More information available here