Page 21 - AC-3-3

Arts & Communication Transnational mobility and art market centers

attracted the attention of the global art market to Doha. strategic pivot resulted in the establishment of new cultural
Dolman served as the CEO of Qatar Museums from 2011 institutions, including the Singapore Art Museum in 1996.
to 2014 and his appointment underscored the ambitions These institutions were steered using a geo-economic
of Qatar Museums to transport world-class expertise to perspective that focused on Southeast Asia and aimed to
Doha. position Singapore as a regional hub.

Highly mobile art experts have played crucial roles in The art market began to be framed as a growth sector in
institutionalizing Doha’s collection. Abdellah Karroum, a the 2000s, spurred by a global surge in art market activities,
curator with extensive experience in France and Morocco, the significant expansion of the Chinese art market, and the
75
has led varied biennials such as Dak’Art worldwide. He emergence of Southeast Asian markets. The recognition
served as the Director of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern of the potential of this sector instigated subsidy-based
Art from 2013 to 2021 and his efforts in spearheading policies and tax incentives targeting powerful art market
the institution exemplify the critical functioning of players including art fairs and galleries. The Economic
hypermobile individuals in shaping and refining art Development Board (EDB) functioned crucially in
collections. supporting such initiatives as an institution dedicated to
boosting growth through strong state intervention.
The first collection was made out of passion. So you
have major groups of artists, but you find gaps... Thus, hypermobile individuals were attracted to
With the curatorial team, we are making a timeline Singapore to establish galleries and art fairs, and direct
to analyze what the collection is and where the gaps local art institutions. These individuals brought extensive
are. We know that there are some productions at a international experience and networks that further
certain moment in relation with what’s happening integrated Singapore into the global art market. For
in society. But if we didn’t have it in the collection, example, Lorenzo Rudolf ran the Art Stage Singapore
we have to find out and buy (Interview with fair from 2010 to 2018. Rudolf is a serial fair director
Abdellah Karroum in 2018). renowned for his work with Art Basel, Art Basel Miami,
and SH Contemporary. Sueo Mizuma is another notable
Karroum’s approach to collection-building at Mathaf
demonstrates how hypermobile curators leverage their example: he founded Mizuma Gallery in Tokyo in 1994
and expanded his gallery’s presence by opening spaces
international experiences to enhance local art institutions. in Singapore in 2012, Yogyakarta in 2014, and New York
His experience in curating biennials and exhibitions in 2018. The presence of internationally renowned
in diverse cultural contexts endowed him with a keen figures such as Rudolf and Mizuma helped to elevate
awareness of the different artistic movements and societal the Singapore’s status in the global art community. The
changes that shape art production. Karroum’s global activities of these personalities fostered cross-cultural
exposure to diverse art scenes informs his methodology of exchanges and collaborations, enriched the local art scene,
identifying gaps. His ability to recognize what is missing and positioned Singapore as a key player in the regional
from the collection is based on his past encounters in and global art markets.
other contexts, and this skill allows Mathaf to strategically
acquire works that can fill the detected gaps. Karroum’s Besides the contributions of such foreigners who
work at Mathaf exemplifies the extensive impact exerted carried their global market knowledge to Singapore, the
by hypermobile individuals on local art scenes. They carry roles enacted by Singaporean art leaders must also be
their international experiences to bear on local collections acknowledged and emphasized. Such individuals were
and thus help local institutions engage with global art educated abroad and gained extensive work experience
discourses and simultaneously remain connected to in other art hubs and introduced insights and practices
regional and local contexts. from other art environments to Singapore. For instance,
Eugene Tan has established himself as a key player in the
5. Singapore: Hypermobile art managers internationalization of the Singapore art scene over the
Singapore launched a nation-building-oriented cultural years and is emblematic of such personalities.
policy when it attained independence in 1965. This policy was Tan was born in Singapore, obtained a PhD in the UK,
72
aimed primarily at generating social cohesion. A significant and returned to Singapore in 2004 as the director of the
shift occurred in the mid-1980s when an economically Institute for Contemporary Arts (ICA). He later moved
driven cultural policy was gradually introduced. This new to Hong Kong, where he promoted the Southeast Asian
73
policy framed the arts and culture as engines for economic art market at Osage Gallery. His international experience
growth that would foster innovation and enhance the city- enabled him to identify and effectively address gaps in
state’s attractiveness to tourists and global talent. This Singapore’s local art scene. Tan reflected on his early efforts:
74

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 7 doi: 10.36922/ac.3734