Mark Saunderson, director of Singapore Contemporary art fair.[Photo provided to China Daily]

The inaugural edition of Singapore Contemporary will host 65 galleries that promote both established and promising artists in three segments: Artist Dialogues, China Encounters and Gallery Projects. Saunderson expects the fair to draw some 20,000 visitors.

China Encounters will give visitors access to works by more than 400 contemporary Chinese artists, many of whom are known at home but have only been occasionally exhibited internationally, Saunderson says.

While Hong Kong is seen as principally serving interest in North Asian artists, Singapore is viewed as a gateway to Southeast Asia. Its vitality has impressed Chinese collectors in recent years.

An Indonesian pavilion will be installed to showcase more than 200 paintings and sculptures of the country's leading artists, including Nyoman Erawan, Chusin Setiadikara and Yoga Mahendra.

"A strong gallery showing from China particularly excites us," Saunderson says.

"Our VIP Collector Relations team has seen strong interest from Chinese mainland collectors whose appetite for collecting now extends to promising artists elsewhere in the region."