ART LOFT is a unique online space, founded in Singapore, that introduces emerging Asian artists to an international market. Three friends, Alexandra Eu, Qiuyan Tian, and Michelle Chan, launched the site as a multifaceted platform for connecting artists and collectors on global, professional, and personal levels. ART LOFT’s goal is to provide an innovative, user-friendly experience for both the seasoned and budding collector.
What is perhaps most striking about ART LOFT is its dedication to both the artist and the customer. Marketing and Creative Director, Eu, and Chief Executive, Tian, recently met with Whitewall in New York. Eu explained that, “Something we’re also looking to do, aside from just the e-commerce platform, is really to give more depth to the artist; who is behind the artwork? What does he really represent?” The founders achieve this through Skyping with their artists, visiting studios throughout Asia, and then sharing their findings through the website, which features artist bios, detailed resumes, and full interviews.
Meguru YamaguchiRoots of Tears
Acrylic, epoxy resin, glass and spray paint on wood panel
The art and artists showcased on ART LOFT are varied, displaying a variety of mediums, perspectives, and price ranges. Works range from museum-quality prints to multi-media pieces, made from glass or rice paper. However varied, dedication and personal stories pervade each work. In an example that Eu gave when Whitewall met with her earlier this month, one artist, Hidenori Ishii, engages with the trauma of the Fukushima disaster due to his own connections to the area and to people who were affected. To remember the event, he coats each of his canvases in a paint that prevents radiation from dispersing into the air. Eu added, “He is still so rooted to that culture and still feels so much for Japan, having been here for more than ten years. It was very heartwarming actually to see that.”
In addition to this more expressive feature of the website, ART LOFT allows collectors to upload their own photos of their homes to help visualize the works as part of their living space. This element exists as a fulfillment of the founders’ goal to “bridge the gap between the online and the physical world.”
Patrice GandaPirate of Altruism
Hand screen printed
Edition of 13
In tandem with Singapore’s rise as an art hub, ART LOFT was created to give South East Asia a platform to engage in a cross-cultural dialogue as never before. Tian elaborated, “Every single country has a different language, different culture, different traditions and religions; it’s difficult for some of them to come out because it might not be their culture to speak up, to share, to show off.” She continued, “Most of them don’t even know a language outside their mother tongue.”
Some of the artists featured on ART LOFT are policemen or graphic designers by day and are “artists by night.” So, for these artists who are not represented by galleries, ART LOFT translates their passion for a global audience. And for Eu and Tian, it is exposing these artists and giving them their voices that they are most passionate about.
April NgPerception of Space #1
