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Overview Art Apart Fair is Singapore’s first1 hotel-based boutique art fair. Initially called Worlds Apart Fair in January 2013, the success of the fair encouraged a second edition, later renamed as Art Apart Fair as part of a series of “Apart Fairs”3. Art Apart coincides with Singapore Art Week, an initiative launched by the National Arts Council, alongside with the Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Economic Development Board4. The fairs take place twice biannually – during January and July – in Singapore. Art Apart made its international debut in London in October 20145 at the Town Hall Hotel. It will be setting its stage in New York in October 2015. Art Apart Fair serves as a platform to provide support towards emerging artists with the potential to become established. The fair gives artists the opportunity to showcase their works9 and gain recognition among art lovers and collectors10. In January 2014, some 33 galleries and 1,500 artists’ work from countries such as Taiwan, China, Australia, Kazakhstan, Croatia, Japan, Vietnam, Austria, Cambodia, South Korea, Russia, Spain and Germany, were featured8. Some of the galleries that have exhibited with Art Apart are South Korea’s Seoul Art Centre, Shanghai’s Nancy Gallery, Madrid’s Jorge & Fernando Alcolea Gallery6 and Russia’s Gallery 11.127. In comparison to other art fairs, Art Apart focuses on selecting galleries with emerging artists with a possibility of becoming established in their national or international market. Due to the high costs of exhibiting at art fairs and the presence of many artists struggling to succeed financially12, there is an “Adopt An Artist” initiative, where a Patron of the Arts13 and sponsors help to fund these artists. Galleries that are invited to showcase new works at Art Apart also help support the emerging artists by paying for the exhibiting fee. Works have to be new and not shown at other art fairs before. Besides providing support for emerging artists, part of the revenue generated from the sales of art works and tickets goes towards helping the young and elderly in Singapore. One of the beneficiaries includes Halogen Foundation Singapore14, an educational charity that helps to develop young leaders and entrepreneurs15. Another beneficiary is the Lions Befrienders Service Association14, Singapore’s largest direct service voluntary welfare organization, that assists the elderly and helps them engage with the community16. Plans for a ‘white cube’ art fair to be held in 2016 is currently in the talks. History The idea of holding an art fair in a hotel first originated in 1994 as the Gramercy International Art Fair in the rooms of Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City. The fair was highly successful, and it is now renamed “The Armory Show”18. The concept of a hotel-based art fair breaks the conventional presentation of art in a whitewashed gallery space. Curators utilize the layout and space of the hotel rooms to present art works in a fun and intimate ambience7. Visitors are provided with a good idea of how these works would look like in a home setting, as they are being displayed in a more informal setting, such as on beds, table tops, chairs and even bathrooms19. Inspired by this layout, Art Apart founder and director Rosalind Lim decided to bring the idea over to Singapore. With over 38 years of experience in diverse fields, such as Public Relations, Branding, Marketing and Event Management, she built the foundation for the first successful hotel art fair – the Worlds Apart Fair in January 201320 at Conrad Centennial Singapore5. The fair was later renamed Art Apart Fair3 and moved to Parkroyal on Pickering, where the entire 14th floor – rooms, lobbies and corridors – is converted into art galleries21. Singapore Editions •	Worlds Apart Fair (First Edition) The inaugural edition of Worlds Apart Fair was held from 25 to 27 January 2013 in 40 rooms at Conrad Centennial Singapore, and saw more than 3,000 visitors and buyers22. The fair showcased some 3,400 art works, ranging from paintings and photography to video art, sculptures and installations21. Worlds Apart Fair featured emerging contemporary artists from Asia, Africa, Lebanon, Europe, the Americas and Australia, with a greater focus on rising artists from Singapore21. •	Art Apart Fair (Second Edition) Worlds Apart was renamed as Art Apart as part of a series of “Apart Fairs”. The second edition of Art Apart was held from 5 to 7 July 2013 at Parkroyal on Pickering, and featured over 120 Asian artists and galleries. The art works were focused on Korea and revolved around themes such as “Korean Wave”, “Asian Spirit” and “Butterfly Effect”23. In addition to the display of artworks, the fair included talks by prominent artists and industry experts from around Asia10. About 3,000 visitors attended Art Apart Fair 2nd Edition24. •	Art Apart Fair (Third Edition) The third edition of Art Apart took place from 17 to 19 January 2014, showcased more than 1,500 art pieces25 from 12 countries26, including Germany, South Korea, Russia and the Philippines7. Besides housing exhibitions such as “The Destruction of the Readymade Everyday”, the main theme for Art Apart 3rd Edition was “The Artists’ Garden” – a selection of 100 art pieces from the 33 participating galleries11. Over 4,000 people visited the art fair, an increase from the 2nd Edition24. •	Art Apart Fair (Fourth Edition) The fourth edition of Art Apart was held from 18 to 20 July 2014, where more than 2,000 art pieces were exhibited, with a focus on works by Russian artists. The aim of the event was to introduce Eastern European Art, such as works from Moscow, Kazakhstan, Croatia and Slovenia27.

Apart from the display of art pieces, there were live paintings of portraits, talks by Russian art experts and Russian Art Performance28. Similar to the previous edition, over 4,000 visitors were expected to visit Art Apart 4th Edition29.

•	Art Apart Fair (Fifth Edition) The 5th edition of Art Apart will be held from 23 to 25 January 2015 at Parkroyal on Pickering. Unlike past editions where the curations were focused on specific countries, such as Singapore, Korea and Russia, this edition will showcase contemporary art, highlight conceptual art works and urban art works by street artists from all around the world30. Some of the featured artists include German artist Kaja el Attar and French artist Bruno Tanquerel31. Eight galleries from the previous editions of Art Apart will be making a return, and they include Utterly Art, Gaze Gallery and Seoul Art Centre32. •	Art Apart Fair (Sixth Edition) Art Apart Fair will be working with the National Arts Council to identify public and private spaces for the creation of urban art works for its 6th edition. The Fair will also be arranging city-wide tours for visitors in July to view these works. Overseas Editions Unlike the Singapore Editions, where the fairs are conducted biannually, the fairs held overseas – more specifically London and New York – will take place biennially 11.

•	Art Apart London (First Edition) Art Apart made its international debut from 17 to 19 October 2014 at the Town Hall Hotel, in Bethnal Green, East London33. The show is believed to be the first hotel art fair that took place in London in a larger scale34. The fair showcased over 2,000 contemporary works from more than 100 rising and mid-career artists33, including artists such as Russell Marshall and Nikolai Ishchuk35, occupying the entire second floor of the hotel, Besides featuring artists, art pieces by silversmiths, jewellers and makers, such as Hans Stofer and David Clarke were exhibited as well33. Over 3,000 visitors were expected to be present for the Art Apart London 1st Edition36. A second edition will be held in October 2016. •	Art Apart New York (First Edition) Art Apart is expected to debut in New York in October 2015. References 1.    http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/show/2014/01/09/more-art-fairs-are-being-launched 2.    http://actually.sg/mag/art-apart-fair/ 3.    http://sea.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/920838/art-apart-hotel-fair-returns-at-parkroyal-on-pickering 4.    http://www.nac.gov.sg/art-forms/visual-arts/festivals-events/singapore-art-week-2015 5.    http://artapartfair.com/london/about-art-apart-fair/ 6.    http://www.herworldplus.com/lifestyle/stuff-do/art-apart-fair-2013 7.    http://is.asia-city.com/events/news/art-apart-fair-2014-brings-art-hotel-third-time-jan-17-19 8.    http://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/arts/art-apart-fair-go-international 9.    http://artapartfair.com/about-art-apart-fair/ 10. http://www.ssphere.com/news/latest-blogs/entry/art-apart-fair-2013-presents-a-canvas-for-the-next-wave-of-asian-artists-to-the-rest-of-the-world.html 11. http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/1000666/singapore-connection-brings-new-hotel-art-fair-to-london 12. http://artapartfair.com/london/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/pressrelfinallogo.pdf 13. http://artapartfair.com/patrons/ 14. http://main.artapartfair.com/assets/uploads/files/aaf_jan_catalogue.pdf 15. http://www.halogen.sg/home/about-us/ 16. http://www.lionsbefrienders.org.sg/aboutlbsa_ourhistory.html 17. http://artapartfair.com/opening-hours/ 18. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Armory_Show_(art_fair) 19. http://www.artitute.com/2013/01/24/a-new-art-fair-worlds-apart-singapore/ 20. http://artapartfair.com/about-the-organizer/ 21. http://artapartfair.com/welcome/ 22. http://www.mynewsdesk.com/sg/luxy-international/pressreleases/art-apart-fair-2014-its-worlds-apart-942925 23. http://comesingapore.com/events/view/21924/art-apart-fair-2013 24. https://www.facebook.com/ArtApartFair/posts/433523926782346 25. http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2014/01/17/beyond-art-stage-singapore/ 26. http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/show/2014/01/17/whats-saturdays-top-picks-life 27. http://artapartfair.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Fireflyz.pdf 28. http://sagg.info/event/art-apart-fair-singapore-4th-edition/ 29. http://www.worldsapartfair.com/ 30. http://artapartfair.com/programme-highlights/ 31. http://is.asia-city.com/events/singapore-art/art-apart-5th-edition?page=2 32. http://sagg.info/event/art-apart-fair-2015/ 33. http://www.designweek.co.uk/whats-on/what-to-look-out-for-at-this-years-art-fair-week/3039234.article 34. http://www.londonlive.co.uk/news/2014-10-17/the-art-apart-fair 35. http://madeinshoreditch.co.uk/events/the-art-apart-fair/ 36. http://www.russianartandculture.com/event-art-apart-art-fair-2014-the-town-hall-hotel-london-17-19-october/