Within the bare good bones of a 1920s conservation shophouse along Cairnhill Road sits an unexpected torrent of colours and textures. The Art Fund Gallery (TAF Gallery) currently holds the largest contemporary art collection by Mongolian artists outside of Mongolia. The space is the doing of three first-time gallerists — Singaporeans Dr Lanz Chan and Mark Foo, plus Argun Boldkhet from Mongolia.
Spread among the trio is a wealth of professional experience in finance, artificial intelligence, F&B, energy and the environment. “This space is actually our home office,” says Chan, a former fund manager. “We then decided to dress it up with art because we had plenty of white walls as well as a passion for the arts.”
But instead of hanging just one or two paintings and calling it a day, the men decided to bring in a 100-piece-strong collection, consisting works from 10 artists, thus offering a platform for these creative names to showcase their work to the Singapore public. By appointment only, clients can view the natural world in manifold modern Mongolian artworks — picture iconographic horses, camels, the Gobi dessert, a summer’s meadow, and more.
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Additionally, having come from the private banking sector, Chan continues to gravitate towards anything to do with investment. “At TAF Gallery, we’re focusing on investment-grade art. Many people in Singapore, including my mom, tend to buy print art, which could cost hundreds of dollars yet depreciates once it is sold. But if you buy an original piece, where each one is unique, it holds its value.”
Chan adds, “Art value is a combination of aesthetics, social, commercial and brand values. Fine art, including Mongolian fine art, possesses investment value over and above their base or fundamental value over time as the demand for fine art increases with the growing appreciation of fine art among a more sophisticated society globally. It is widely expected for fine art to produce returns of circa five percent on average per annum or to double every five to 10 years.”
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To start with, the artworks for sale at TAF Gallery are among the most reasonably priced for quality that we’ve seen. Chan says, “We price our art at relatively lower rates as compared to other local galleries because we have direct link to the artist. Also, this isn’t our primary business. We want to help the artists.”
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Here are three out of the 10 artists currently showcased at TAF Gallery worth keeping an eye on. Also, we reveal which artist is the personal favourite of Mongolian Ambassador to Singapore His Excellency Mr George Lkhagvadorj Tumur. Click on the images below: