It gets bigger and better every year. Held from 4 to 8 October 2007, ARTSingapore 2007 will occupy a staggering 5,000 square metres at Level 4 Hall 404 in Suntec Singapore. The fair will feature artworks from 86 galleries from 14 countries, with over S$20 million worth of art pieces on display and for sale. Over its seven-year run, ARTSingapore, Southeast Asia’s biggest contemporary art fair, has established a reputation as a cutting-edge contemporary Asian art fair, where galleries take the opportunity to showcase classic artworks and launch new pieces by up-and-coming artists. For instance, past ARTSingapore fairs exhibited artwork by notables such as Xu Bing, Subodh Gupta and Yayoi Kusama. As the only major contemporary art fair in Southeast Asia, ARTSingapore also serves as a trade and networking platform where gallery owners, collectors, artists and art aficionados can gather to forge business alliances, acquire new artworks, share ideas and exchange information. ARTSingapore 2007 offers an impressive array of art pieces from galleries across the region, including Australia, India, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, as well as art pieces owned by private collectors. Some of the big names expected this year include: Affandi, Andy Warhol, Anthony Lister, Arie Smit, Chua Ek Kay, Eric Chan, Farhad Hussain, Feng Zhengjie, Fernando Botero, Guo Jin, Justin Lee, Lee Yong Deok, Liu Ye, Ngugen Xuan Manh, Prajakta Potnis, Ruan Xiaojie, Shibu Natesan, Sigma Polke, Sobodh Gupta, Srihadi, Tang Zhigang ,Soedarsono, Yayoi Kusama, Yue Minjun, Zao Wouki, Zhang Xiaogang, Zheng Delong, and Zhou Chunya. “The art industry in Asia is growing rapidly, due to the rising wealth in the region, as well as the increasing appreciation for the visual arts among the affluent in Asia and globally. Leveraging on this trend, ARTSingapore 2007 is our biggest show ever in terms of both size and scope. Through ARTSingapore 2007, we aim to boost the visual arts market in the region with our optimal combination of the best modern art and exciting new talents from galleries and collectors all over Asia and the world,” says Chen Shen Po, organiser of ARTSingapore 2007. In addition, collecting and investing in art is fast becoming a lifestyle statement, given Singapore’s rapid rise as one of the most affluent countries in Asia, with many comparing it to Zurich or calling it the Switzerland of Asia. With Singapore reportedly having the highest concentration of millionaires in Asia, ARTSingapore hopes to fill this niche by providing the best variety and quality of art under one roof. ARTSingapore is more than simply an art fair. The event also offers a series of art talks by industry experts to provide art aficionados with more opportunities to interact and network with each other. Topics such as how to invest in art, the trends to look out for, as well as dialogues with prominent artists and art collectors, will allow visitors to gain some insights into the art industry, as well as fine-tune their own art collection and investment strategies. In line with the show’s goal to enhance Asia’s visual arts scene, one of the highlights of ARTSingapore 2007 is Singapore-based Parvathi Nayar, a visual artist from India best known for her paintings and drawings which focus on the notion of fragmentary perspectives. Nayar will be displaying her works in a specially created booth and will be present at the show to interact and answer questions from fair visitors.