STPI Celebrates Tenth Anniversary; First Singapore Gallery to be Selected for Art Basel

The Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI) celebrated its tenth anniversary with a fundraising gala dinner on October 19 at the Grand Ballroom of the Capella Singapore on Sentosa island.

Some 300 guests attended, including Guest of Honor Dr. Tony Tan, President of Singapore, who, while he was Deputy Prime Minister, opened the Institute in 2002. Other notable guests included Lawrence Wong, acting minister for Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and senior minister of State for Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts; STPI board members; numerous influential collectors; local gallerists; and other supporters of STPI. A number of international and local artists were also on the scene, among them Ashley Bickerton, Ahmad Zakii Anwar, Donna Ong, Phunk art collective, David Chan, Hong Zhu An and Ong Kim Seng.

STPI director, Emi Eu, commented in a press announcement, “Without the strong commitment and support of our patrons, our accomplishments in the past decade would have not been possible. This is a special opportunity to thank our supporters and welcome new members to STPI’s family.”

The evening’s main event was a live auction of artworks donated by 12 international art stars, many of whom were former STPI artists-in-residence. Donating artists included Do Ho Suh, Ashley Bickerton, Genevieve Chua, Zhan Wang, Jumaldi Alfi, Tabaimo and Geraldine Javier. Renowned auctioneer François Curiel, president of Christie’s Asia, conducted the energetic and highly successful auction, which, together with a raffle draw and other donations, raised SGD 250,000.

These funds will be used to build a stronger foundation for STPI’s future growth, including outreach initiatives to give Singapore audiences free access to innovative exhibitions and educational programs. The STPI gives exposure to local artists at art fairs like SH Contemporary, promotes emerging artists in the region through its biennial exhibition, “BMW Young Asian Artists Series,” and pushes the boundaries of traditional print and paper techniques. It boasts a state of the arts printmaking facility and paper mill for leading international artists who enter its residency program.

The success of these efforts over the last decade is authenticated by STPI’s recent acceptance into two major art fairs. In March, STPI became the first Southeast Asian gallery to present at the Armory Show in New York. And recently, STPI was accepted into Art Basel 2013, making it the first gallery from Singapore to be included in this prestigious art fair. According to STPI chairman, Ong Yew Huat, “Presenting at Art Basel is a defining moment, a huge step up for STPI and Singapore as it pushes the envelope for the arts.” The STPI will exhibit Singaporean artists Heman Chong and Genevieve Chua at Art Basel next year.