The inaugural edition of the SAW Art Symposium brings together local and international cultural leaders, policymakers, as well as industry movers and shakers in a series of curated talks and panel discussions. They will discuss topics relevant to the arts ecosystem in Singapore and its global partners in light of the prevailing global pandemic, as well as its implications for the future. Unfolding over a series of seven sessions, the Symposium’s speakers reflect on issues regarding space and placemaking, arts programming, technology and the art market. The Symposium is produced by Plural Art Mag and supported by the National Arts Council. 

To watch the full programme, please click here. 

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Programme and Round-up Summaries

Day 1

— Welcome Address

Speaker:
Rosa Daniel, CEO, National Arts Council (NAC) and Deputy Secretary (Culture), The Ministry of Culture, Comunity and Youth

— Panel 1: Creating and Holding Space - For Art, Artists, and Audiences
This panel explores the impact of cultural policy and urban planning, with a focus on the importance of arts and cultural sites, as well as arts facilities (e.g. arts housing, art spaces, art institutions) in defining and shaping distinct characteristics of urban districts. What’s the way forward in balancing land needs as a society? Are there lessons to be learned from this ‘new normal’ in our approach to spaces and public engagement? This panel explores a regional perspective, hearing from art spaces on how they negotiate these issues.

Speakers: 
Aaron Seeto, Director, Musuem MACAN; 
Wilson Tan, Deputy Chairman, National Arts Council & Chairman of Arts House Limited; 
Teoh Chin Chin, Director, The Jockey Club CPS Limited; 
Usha Chandradas (Moderator), Co-founder, Plural Art Mag. 

— Panel 2: Art and the Digital Realm
Is there any turning back now that art and arts programming’s expansion into the digital sphere has been accelerated by the pandemic? This panel explores how digital technology impacts the way that art is created and experienced, from the perspectives of curators and artists alike.

Speakers: 
Daniel Birnbaum, Director Acute Art; 
Takashi Kudo, Communications Director, teamLab; 
Dr. June Yap, Director, Curatorial Collections & Programmes, Singapore Art Musuem; 
Russell Storer (Moderator), Director, Curatorial & Collections, National Gallery Singapore. 

Click here for the summary of Day 1's talks.
 

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Day 2

— Panel 3: Art for the Public - Commissions and Cultural Philanthropy
What is the role of private support and cultural philanthropy in nurturing the art industry through public art, and what does it mean for art to be in public, and for the public? This panel explores the relevance of public art in fostering connections within the community that it resides in, and how the public can be involved in the creation and commissioning process.

Speakers: 
Emily Sullivan, Curator, Kaldor Public Art Projects; 
Jan Boes, Head of Client Strategy, Global Family Office APAC, UBS; 
Mae Anderson, Chairwoman, Art Outreach Singapore; 
Fram Kitagawa, General Director, Echigo-Tsumari Triennale; 
Tamares Goh (Moderator), Head, Curatorial Programmes, National Gallery Singapore

— Panel 4: Cities and Art
Large-scale arts programming in the manner of biennales, triennales and city-wide events have been much affected by the pandemic. In the wake of COVID-19, is there still room for such events, and if so, how? This panel reflects on the learning points, challenges and possibilities for post-pandemic programming for the arts.

Speakers:
Shubigi Rao, Artistic Director, Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2021; 
Emma O'Neill, Festival Director, Art Month Sydney; 
Alia Swastika, Director, Biennale Jogja Foundation; 
Juliet Knapp, Co-Director, Kyoto Experiment; 
David Chew (Moderator), Deputy Director, Festivals & Precinct Development, National Heritage Board.

Click here for the summary of Day 2's talks.

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Day 3

— Panel 5: How Sustainable is Art Going Digital?
Tackling the question at the forefront of our minds, this panel of gallerists, collectors and fair directors give their perspective on the impact that the digital format has had on the art market, its pros and cons, and how one can best harness technological tools to stimulate the art economy.

Speakers: 
National Kaye Whiffin, Head of Art Fairs & Strategic Partnerships, Artlogic; 
Kim Tay, Gallery Director, The Artling; 
Chong Huai Seng, Founder, The Culture Story; 
Pauline Gan (Moderator), Co-founder, Plural Art Mag

— Panel 6: ART SG x UBS Discussion Series - Tigers and Art: The Economic, Social Demographic, and Consumer Context for the Art and Luxury Market in Southeast Asia
Presented by ART SG, this panel of art market experts surveys Singapore’s rise as a financial centre and role as one of the four Asian Tigers, and embarks on a comparative survey of its art and luxury market development vis-à-vis economic growth alongside the other Tiger countries (Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea) and Tiger Cub Economies in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam).

Speakers:
Kelvin Tay, Managing Director, Regional Chief Investment Officer, UBS AG; 
Patti Wong, Chairman, Sotheby's Asia and Chairman, Sotheby's Diamonds; 
Dr. Melaine Fasche, Lecturer, MA in Art Business, Sotheby's Institute of Art; 
Alain Jacques Gilbert Li, CEO Asia Pacific Richemont; 
Magnus Renfrew, Co-Founder, ART SG and Co-Director, Taipei Dangdai. 

— Panel 7: Grounded and Ready for Take Off: Flight Plans for 2021
With our feet firmly planted on the ground and poised to take flight as pivoting opportunities present themselves, what can we learn from our experiences in the past year to elevate our collective efforts? In this roundtable event presented by Art & Market, we look to various players in the art industry to get a sense of the big picture and devise a plan with which to reach towards a brighter future.

Speakers:
Dr. Yanyun Chen, Artist and Academic; 
Khai Hori, Director & Partner, Chan + Hori Contemporary; 
Adele Tan, Senior Curator, National Gallery Singapore; 
Josephine Kelliher, Facebook Open Arts Lead EMEA & APAC; 
Nadya Wang (Moderator), Founder and Editor, Art & Market.

Click here for the summary of Day 3's talks.

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