They came, they bought

At the fourth edition of the popular Affordable Art Fair that ended on Sunday evening at the F1 Pit Building, friends convinced friends to buy art.

Artists, too, supported fellow artists.

Buyers included first-timers and those who were looking for something special for their homes for the first time.

Several were seen leaving the fair building with smiles on their faces and artworks in their hands.

Life! caught up with four of them.

deepikas@sph.com.sg

1 A SLICE OF SINGAPORE LIFE

Human resource director Lorraine Ermer, 55, recently moved to Singapore from Sydney. She said she was "looking for something affordable which portrayed Singapore's old architecture". She found it in the watercolour on paper work titled Joo Chiat Singapore II by local artist Tilen Ti. At $1,500, it fit her budget and was exactly what she had in mind. Mrs Ermer called the fair "fantastic" and said she was "spoilt for choice".

2 THE ARTY FRIENDSHIP BOND

Mr Patrick Lim has Mr Thomas Pang to thank for his purchase of an artwork by Vietnamese artist Nguyen Ngoc. Mr Pang had bought an oil on canvas by the artist and saw another work that his friend might like, so he called him to go down to check it out.

Mr Lim ended up buying the painting titled Long Lost Friend because he says he trusts his friend's artistic taste. He says the size of the painting, which cost him $3,600, was just right for his wall space in his Peranakan home and he was drawn to the old-world charm of the painting and the attention to detail in something as simple as a bicycle next to a wall.

"The artist has even got the algae on the wall so right. It reminds me of my childhood when there were many walls like this," said Mr Lim.

3 ARTISTS SUPPORTING ARTISTS

It was the first time painter and installation artist Kanchana Gupta, 39, bought anything at the Affordable Art Fair. She was not planning to until she saw fellow artist Xin Xiaochang's sculptures, which have a distinct cartoonish, pop-art vibe. "I like Xin's tone of sarcasm. I am familiar with her work and was immediately drawn to the sculpture I bought.

"I like how as an artist she has addressed several hot button issues including McDonald's Hello Kitty plush-toy craze, the addiction to the smartphone game Candy Crush Saga and Singa The Lion," said Gupta, who paid $1,400 for the sculpture.

The artist Xin feels using popular elements from contemporary culture allows her to connect to people.

4 ONE FOR THE BABIES

Dentist Alison and her banker husband Nikhil Ray moved to Singapore from London three years ago but this was their first Affordable Art Fair outing. Mrs Ray, 39, is expecting twins and was looking for something fun for the children's room. They found the $2,900 painting as soon as they stepped into the fair at local art gallery Utterly Art's booth, which was right at the entrance.

The painting is by Andre Tan, who is known for his works rendered in a pop-art style. It is playful and fun.

As Mr Ray, 35, says: "I like Pacman. I like British pop artist Damien Hirst. This painting brings those worlds together."

Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.