Singapore hosts inaugural Art Fair

Global artists have flocked to Singapore this week for the inaugural Singapore Art Fair, the first in Asia to feature modern and contemporary art from the ME.NA.SA region.

Featuring 230 artists from 59 international galleries, the fair has been designed to promote cultural exchange among the Middle East, North Africa and South and Southeast Asia.

It has been divided into three pavilions -- the ME.NA Pavilion, the Lebanese Pavilion and the Dato' Ibrahim Hussein Pavilion. Each helps visitors to explore the culture, history and politics of the region through the perspective of the artists.

The ME.NA Pavilion is dedicated to presenting the complexity of artistic practices in a region with a tumultuous history, while the Lebanese Pavilion, titled "Contemporary Lebanon: Art Beyond Violence," also focuses on the turmoil of the Middle East. The Dato' Ibrahim Hussein Pavilion features a selection of the late Malaysian artist's work, showcased for the first time in Singapore.

Lebanese photographer Roger Moukarzel is also premiering "So Far So Close," documenting his journeys from Beirut to New York, Paris to Dubai and Kingston to Oman, on a 556-square-meter video wall.

The event's cultural program extends to a public art showcase, video art and educational talks. A live street art performance featuring live graffiti by Singaporean artist Antz, Indonesian artist Darbotz and Lebanese artist Yazan Halwani is intended to illustrate the connections between Asia and the Middle East since the days of the Silk Road trade.

Singapore Art Fair will run through November 30.