THE Singapore Art Week may have ended yesterday but the art party continues with The Farrer Park Company launching this Wednesday a 240-page book detailing the process of building the massive art collection at the One Farrer complex.
There are more than 700 original artworks commissioned for specific spaces throughout the complex, which includes One Farrer Hotel & Spa, One Farrer Conference Centre, Farrer Park Hospital, Farrer Park Medical Centre and Owen Link, a retail and dining zone. The collection, which is not for sale, is permanent but is not only for the enjoyment of hotel guests. Free one-hour guided tours are given daily from 15.00 starting at the hotel lobby while private tours with a minimum of six persons may be arranged by appointment.
The voluminous coffee-table book takes readers from ‘Creating A Vision’ through the varied ‘galleries’, highlighting many of the art pieces done by over 60 well-known and emerging artists living and working throughout Greater Asia. It ends with ‘Building A Collection’ which describes the conceptualisation, creation, commissioning, selection and installation of the collection, which is already recognised as one of the most comprehensive in the region.
Art is increasingly a magnet to draw visitors to Singapore. The just-concluded Singapore Art Week, for example, has grown over four years and draws more international visitors. It comprises three art fairs. Of these, Art Stage, the anchor, alone saw 71 new galleries. Seventy-five per cent of its exhibitors were from Asia, reinforcing its identity as matchmaker for collectors, artists, curators and enthusiasts in the region.
The Singapore Art Week, organised annually around this time by the National Arts Council, Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Economic Development Board, also boasts site-specific events, art walks and tours.
The launch of Farrer Park’s ‘Art.Lifestyle.Environment’ book coincidentally dovetails a week of art frenzy. Following a private launch on January 27, there will be an art exhibition and sale of art by artists represented at the complex in the grand ballroom of the hotel on January 29 (18.00 to 20.00) and January 30 (12.00 to 16.00). The exhibition is open to the general public at no charge.
“This is a book about the unique and intuitive process of creating an art collection. It chronicles a three-year journey from the genesis of a vision to the reality of conceptualising and commissioning a rich collection”, said Richard Helfer, chairman, One Farrer Hotel & Spa, who helmed the book project and is its editor.
