ART & DESIGN EVENTS
Here at Bespokcracy, we take all things related to arts, design and culture very seriously- and passionately. That is why we fervently keep ourselves abreast of the latest in these crazy eclectic worlds, so that we can in turn offer you the best knowledge- and indeed, access. Have a look at some of the most sought-after, top-tiered AD&C events around the world that we can help craft itineraries around or help you delve deep into the events themselves. Either way, you know the best way is through us with our insights, access and expertise.
January / September
Anchoring the Paris Design Week, Maison&Objet draws its appeal from its 360-degree offering in the world of design, from the interior to the exterior, to the big and the small, to the functional and to the purely aesthetic. This giant design and lifestyle extravaganza is split into 2 seasonal editions annually and is the best fair to visit to celebrate the wondrous diversity in design.
Paris, France
March
This is indubitably the largest art fair in Japan and the oldest in Asia, through its previous reincarnation of the Nippon International Contemporary Art Fair established back in 1992. Its present branding started in 2005 and is unique in its collective featuring of a wide range of art from antiques and crafts to nihonga painting, modern art and contemporary art.
Tokyo, Japan
March / June / December
The pinnacle, the apex, the hyperbole-hogging of all art fairs, drawing the most revered galleries and collectors alike, has forever changed the art fair landscape through its trio of art fairs. It was established half a decade ago by a trio of trailblazing Swiss art professionals, Ernst Beyeler, Trudl Bruckner and Balz Hilt. The final act in cementing Art Basel in its prime position was the debut fair on the glitzy Miami Beach in 2002 and it completed its world domination in 2003 with its premiere in HK, the latter having almost an immediate seismic impact on the Asian art market.
Hong Kong, China / Basel, Switzerland / Miami Beach, U.S.A.
THE
ART BASEL SHOWS
April
The anchor event of Milan’s formidable Design Week is the world’s most prestigious furniture and commercial design fair. Now pushing 60, it continues to be the bellwether in pushing the boundaries of design into exciting milieus and has been instrumental in continually putting Milan on the forefront of the design world.
Milan, Italy
April / July /September (2025)
The scattering of small islands of the Seto Inland Sea, or Setouchi for short, comes alive every 3 years with this cultural celebration across 12 islands, that plays a pivotal role in elevating this part of Japan into one of its most cultural regions. Be enthralled by over 150 exhibits by artists from Japan as well as overseas, which is traditionally divided into three seasonal sessions, each carrying its own theme.
Setouchi, Japan
March / May / October
The
Frieze Fairs
What started out as a leading contemporary art and culture publication in 1991 is now some of the most esteemed entries of art fairs on the art world’s calendar. The first Frieze art fair started under the now-famous giant marquee in London’s Regent’s Park in 2003 and has grown exponentially, with versions in New York and for the first time in 2019, at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.
New York, U.S.A. / London, U.K. / Seoul, South Korea
May - November (2023)
Every odd-numbered year, more than half a million culture-vultures descend on Venice to visit the Art Biennale, the mother of all biennales. Indeed, it is also the oldest- founded in 1895 to mark the silver anniversary of the accession of King Umberto I of Italy and his consort, Margherita of Savoy. Its famed national pavilions approach lends itself the unofficial moniker of the United Nations of Art Shows, and showcases the best in large-scale works with the whole city as its dramatic backdrop.
Venice, Italy
July
Since its inception in 2008, ARTJOG has grown to become the marquee event for Indonesian contemporary art to a global audience, hosting various art events and cultural showcases in the vibrant city of Yogyakarta. The ever-popular Curators Tours and Meet the Artists programmes have ensured the sustained success of ARTJOG not just in Indonesia but put ASEAN art firmly on the art map.
Yogjakarta, Indonesia
November
Being the largest art market in the world necessitates the exigency for an important art fair, and this is what these twin fairs are trying to achieve from China’s financial capital, Shanghai. The West Bund fair is growing in tandem with the significance and size of the eponymously-named arts precinct that it is situated in and is barely unrecognisable from its origins in 2013 as a boutique fair. Art021 completes the coverage from the other end of town with its own stellar line-up of commercial galleries.
Shanghai, China
October - March (2024)
Organised by one of Singapore’s flagship art institutions, the Singapore Art Museum, and engaging different venues and communities to showcase the diverse offering of Southeast Asian contemporary art, this Biennale founded in 2006 is steadily becoming one of the region’s most important developmental platforms for art-makers from Singapore and the region.