ART SG returns in January 2026, and this time, it’s all about feeling art, making art, and sharing art. For the fourth consecutive year, UBS steps in as Founding and Lead Partner of Southeast Asia’s leading international art fair, reinforcing Singapore’s growing role as a global cultural gateway. This year’s programme blends performance art, sustainability-driven community activities and support for emerging talent, all under UBS’s long-running Art for All initiative.

One of the most anticipated moments of ART SG 2026 will unfold inside the UBS Art Studio. Acclaimed Indonesian artist Melati Suryodarmo will present her live performance I Love You on Thursday, 22 January, from 4pm to 7pm. It marks both UBS’s first presentation of a live performance artwork and Suryodarmo’s first-ever performance at an art fair.

Set in a stark red room, Suryodarmo moves while carrying a large glass vessel, repeatedly uttering the phrase “I love you.” What begins as a simple declaration becomes an emotionally charged ritual. The colour red evokes love, desire and danger, while the fragile yet weighty glass reflects vulnerability and emotional endurance. The performance turns repetition and physical strain into a meditation on longing, resilience and human connection.

For those who miss the live moment, the video documentation of I Love You, part of the UBS Art Collection, will be screened throughout the remaining days of the fair. Suryodarmo will also join Elaine Choi, UBS Art Collection Manager, for a conversation on performance art and her practice at the ART SG Talks Theatre on Friday, 23 January, from 12:30pm to 1:30pm.

UBS’s Art for All initiative continues to invite the public to move from observer to participant. At the UBS Art Studio, visitors can join a hands-on experience centred on love, sustainability and creativity.

Fairgoers are encouraged to write what love means to them before transforming recycled plastic into heart-shaped keychains, inspired by Suryodarmo’s I Love You. Led by local sustainability startup Plastify, the activity highlights plastic circularity and environmental responsibility while offering a meaningful keepsake to take home.

The plastics used come from UBS’s own in-office recycling initiatives and workshops, extending the impact of sustainability efforts beyond the workplace and into the community. The keychains will be available throughout the fair, while supplies last.

ART SG 2026 also marks the launch of the ART SG FUTURES Prize, presented by UBS, a new award aimed at championing emerging talent. A US$10,000 prize will be awarded to the most outstanding artist featured in the fair’s FUTURES sector, which showcases young galleries established within the last decade.

By supporting artists at a formative stage in their careers, the prize reinforces UBS’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of creative voices and strengthening the wider art ecosystem. The judging and award ceremony will take place on Friday, 23 January, the first day of the fair.

Inside the UBS Lounge, visitors can explore Closer, a curated presentation of multimedia works by 13 international artists from the UBS Art Collection. Spanning painting, photography, sculpture and video, the display examines intimacy in its many forms, from familial bonds and romantic love to our relationship with nature and the human body.

Both deeply personal and culturally resonant, the works invite viewers to reflect on vulnerability, emotion and connection. Recent acquisitions by artists Asuka Anastacia Ogawa, Anne Samat and Pinaree Sanpitak are also featured, making this UBS’s first international group presentation since ART SG’s inaugural edition in 2022. Together with Suryodarmo’s I Love You, the exhibition encourages visitors to draw closer, not only to the artworks, but to one another.

As Singapore rises as a major global hub for art collecting and cultural exchange, UBS’s presence at ART SG 2026 underscores its belief in the transformative power of contemporary art. Through performance, participation and patronage, UBS continues to shape an art fair experience that is as inclusive and emotionally resonant as it is visually compelling. At ART SG 2026, art is not just something you see. It’s something you feel, make and share.

ART SG 2026 runs from 23th to 25th January 2026 at Marina Bay Sands Singapore. Tickets and more information available here