SINGAPORE.- Art Stage Singapore breaks new ground with the announcement of its latest fair component. To be held from 16 to 19 January (Vernissage on 15 January) at Marina Bay Sands, Art Stage Singapore 2014 will introduce country/ region-specific Platforms in collaboration with galleries and curators.

Taking the form of curated sales exhibitions, the new component will be divided into regional and country Platforms where exciting new works by Asia Pacific’s headlining and emerging artists will be featured together on the same stage. The Platforms will include Southeast Asia, India, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Australia & New Zealand.

“When we speak about Asia, we cannot speak about an undifferentiated, single Asian contemporary art scene as the region is highly segmented. From a western perspective, there is sometimes limited understanding of the market differentiations within Asia and little depth of knowledge about the individual art markets,” explains Lorenzo Rudolf, Founder & Fair Director, Art Stage Singapore, “In light of this, we feel that it is important that we present a mirror of the dynamic and diverse art scenes across Asia Pacific through the Platforms. These curated sales exhibitions that we are developing will bring about synergies and will become bridges that connect people and communities. This new addition will give visitors not only a holistic overview of artistic developments, but also a deeper understanding of contemporary art from Asia Pacific. Our roots in Singapore firmly anchors us in Asia, enabling Art Stage Singapore to gather all our resources from across the region to help bring about a shift in mindsets.”

The curated sales exhibitions will occupy close to 20 percent, or about 1800 square metres, of the fair exhibition space. Renowned curators from the featured countries/regions will take part in the selection process of exhibits. It will be presented in a museum-like exhibition layout – a non-segregated and fluid format – for a dynamic quality of display as well as to allow for the presentation of art in context.

A final list of exhibition curators as well as participating galleries and artists will be announced at a later date.