Your next artsy escape: Explore the bold and beautiful works from leading and emerging Singapore artists

If you’re looking to start your art collection or deepen your understanding of art this year, S.E.A. Focus 2025 is the perfect opportunity.

As the premier platform for contemporary South-east Asian art and a cornerstone of Singapore Art Week, the exhibition is back for its seventh edition from Jan 18 to 26 at Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Themed “Disconnected Contemporaries”, there is something for everyone – from newcomers to seasoned collectors.

To mark Singapore’s 60th birthday, S.E.A. Focus 2025 is showcasing a record number of Singaporean artists – close to 15, ranging from pioneering icons to fresh talent. It is your chance to view the iconic works of eminent local artists like the late Chng Seok Tin, one of Singapore’s most prominent printmakers and Cultural Medallion recipient; leading painter Wong Keen, and Cultural Medallion recipient and master watercolourist Ong Kim Seng; as well as get acquainted with emerging young talent like Lai Yu Tong, Tiffany Loy and Shen Jiaqi.

Featuring over 200 artworks from nearly 40 artists across eight South-east Asian countries, the exhibition also invites you to explore the rich diversity of South-east Asian art. For those seeking a deeper appreciation, S.E.A. Focus 2025 sparks conversations on how cultural and historical shifts in the region have blurred the lines between these art periods, encouraging a more nuanced view of South-east Asian art’s evolution.

Here are four highlights you can look forward to.

Art that evokes conversations

Some of the year’s standout pieces challenge viewers with bold, thought-provoking themes.

Wong’s “Forest” installation suspends over 80 rice paper paintings in flesh-like tones over wooden structures, resembling a collection of meat and ribs at a butcher’s display. By merging bold Western abstraction with refined Eastern brushwork, Wong’s works evoke the nuanced dialogue between tradition and innovation that shapes the region’s art scene.

Equally powerful is Lai’s “Dead Animals (Domestic Scene)” installation. Geometric animal and insect sculptures, crafted from burnt wooden blocks, lie motionless on various household furniture.

The exhibition serves as both a tribute to creatures that the artist once encountered and handled, now deceased, and as a stark reminder of the looming environmental catastrophes facing the planet.

Seeing Singapore in new ways

Think you’ve seen Singapore? Through the eyes of watercolour master Ong Kim Seng and emerging artist Shen Jiaqi, the nation’s iconic scenes and buildings are reimagined in two distinct and intriguing ways.

Ong’s meticulous brushwork and Impressionist-style depict familiar scenes like a bustling wet market and the tranquil beauty of Pulau Ubin at night in a dream-like manner. For the painting of the latter, Ong spent a few nights on the island to capture its peaceful charm.

Meanwhile, Shen’s series of paintings of old shopping malls is awash in soft, atmospheric hues that evoke a sense of nostalgia and memory. It is her way of highlighting how these strata malls reflect Singapore’s culture of consumerism.

Breaking boundaries with material and form

Besides getting to immerse in the region’s rich artistic and cultural diversity, visitors to S.E.A. Focus can also expect artworks that push the boundaries of medium.

One such piece is “Veins, Grains, and Striae” by Yanyun Chen, commissioned by Bank of Singapore, Main Sponsor of S.E.A. Focus 2025. This charcoal drawing of a Tembusu tree, framed and mounted on Tembusu wood, explores themes of family values and intergenerational relationships. Its intricate details invite viewers to reflect on the resilience and strength that is required to build a person, a family or a nation – a poignant message for Singapore’s 60th year.

Then, look out for the intricately woven sculptures by local textile artist Tiffany Loy, who experiments with varying thread tension to create works that play with depth and texture.

Other highlights from the region include Thai contemporary artist Natee Utarit’s blend of fine art with pop culture, represented in the style of graphic novel and comic illustrations; Malaysian artist Adam Phong’s sculptures made of chicken bones that spark conversations on what our present-day capitalism could mean to future civilisations; as well as a body of photography paired with poetry works by Myanmar artist Maung Day and Singaporean artist Marc Nair.

Dive deeper with film screenings and panel discussions

Film buffs and art enthusiasts alike can dive deeper into South-east Asia’s creative landscape through the SEAspotlight Talks and OFF Focus 2025 film programme.

Filmic works by South-east Asian filmmaker-artists will be screened at Golden Village x The Projector at Cineleisure to showcase the region’s talent in moving imagery and offer a diverse exploration of South-east Asian narratives.

Tickets to OFF Focus 2025 are priced at $8 each and more details will be available on S.E.A. Focus’ website soon.

Looking to kick-start or grow your art collection? Consider attending the following panel discussions:

• Selective Markets: Selling and Buying, Modern and Contemporary (on Jan 25): Get insights into the sale and pricing of modern and contemporary art at fairs, auctions and galleries.
• How to Start Building Collections and Networks (on Jan 26): Hear from three collectors who will share about how they began their art collection journeys with varying interests and budgets.

S.E.A. Focus 2025 runs from Jan 18 to 26 at 39 Keppel Road, Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Tickets are on sale at $10 each and valid for multiple entries.

To buy tickets or for more information, visit seafocus.sg.