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Walking into this year’s Affordable Art Fair Singapore during the media preview felt like stepping into a living ecosystem of creativity. The atmosphere was warm, lively and full of movement as Fair Director Alan Koh guided us through the space, offering thoughtful context behind key installations and emerging trends. What made the experience even more special was the chance to speak directly with artists such as Ronggy, Ireen Tan and Hélène Le Chatelier, hearing them articulate the intentions, emotions and quiet rebellions behind their work.
It was celebratory in a grounded way, a reminder that art does not only thrive in quiet museums. It can pulse, provoke and invite joy in ways that surprise you. Amid all that energy, I found myself gravitating to moments of stillness. Certain installations drew me in not because they were loud but because they asked me to pause long enough to notice what they were trying to say.
Sophie’s Garden and the tenderness of care
Among the most affecting works was An Invitation to Sophie’s Garden, a poetic installation that unfolded like a gentle dream. With its delicate blooms and soft kinetic elements, the piece invited viewers to step closer and observe how small movements bring the entire garden to life. The installation is inspired by a young girl named Sophie who lives with a rare skin condition that requires constant care.
The work does not centre her fragility. Instead it honours the resilience and love that shape her daily world. The garden becomes a quiet portrait of nurture and perseverance and a reminder that care can be both a discipline and an act of profound creativity. Standing before it you feel a sense of reverence for the invisible labour that allows tenderness to take root.
The intimacy of skin in a digital age
Hélène Le Chatelier’s Here, somewhere, totally else… 2 offered a strikingly different form of intimacy. This installation explores the increasingly porous boundary between the physical and virtual body. Visitors are invited to take close up photographs of their skin which then become part of an expanding collective artwork. It is a simple gesture yet it carries emotional weight.
Photographing your own skin reveals texture, memory and presence in a world where the digital often abstracts us into flat representations. The work contemplates how intimacy shifts when the body is mediated through technology and what it means to reclaim physicality in an age of distance. It is both unsettling and grounding and it lingers like a question without a neat answer.
Ubah Rumah and the art of belonging
Another space from Affordable Art Fair Singapore that stayed with me was the Ubah Rumah showcase which brought together artists from around Southeast Asia. Their works explored care, ecology, memory and the idea of home as something fluid rather than fixed. What resonated most was the way these pieces honoured materials and landscapes through slow practice.
Natural dyes, hand spun fibres, botanical elements and found objects seemed to speak to one another across the room. Together they suggested that art can be a form of stewardship rooted in attention and respect for place. In a fast moving fair this showcase encouraged a different rhythm and a deeper kind of seeing.
What else you can expect at the 2025 Affordable Art Fair Singapore
Beyond the major installations the fair is alive with activity. Visitors can explore hands on workshops that range from printmaking to colour theory to basic ink painting, all led by practicing artists and educators. The children’s art studio offers a thoughtful space where young visitors can imagine the future through creative exercises that encourage storytelling and design.
Across the venue there are live demonstrations, artist takeovers and interactive experiences that reveal the making behind the artwork. Even the food and lounge areas are designed as creative extensions of the fair, inviting visitors to pause, recharge and return to the galleries with fresh eyes.
Also read: Affordable Art Fair Singapore at 15: An interview with fair director Alan Koh
Why you should go today to Affordable Art Fair Singapore
If you have not visited the Affordable Art Fair yet today is the last day to experience it. It is happening at the F1 Pit Building, 1 Republic Boulevard, Singapore 038975. Opening hours today are 10am to 7pm. Tickets are available at https://affordableartfair.com/fairs/singapore.
Go for the joy of discovery and for the works that wait quietly for those willing to slow down enough to meet them.
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