Yang began her career at Christie’s London, Hong Kong, and Singapore offices, where she specialised in South-east Asian modern and contemporary art, bringing the finest of the region to the Hong Kong auctions, where record prices were achieved. Later, she joined Sundaram Tagore Gallery and took on a more “hands-on” role, working directly with artists, curating exhibitions, and participating in art fairs. Eventually, she became the director of Art Central Hong Kong.
Working in a gallery was key to joining an art fair, as I learnt about the primary market through working directly with artists and their studios. Additionally, I learned about the essential role that art fairs play in supporting galleries achieve greater audience visibility and generate sales.
During her time with Art Central, Yang realised that her true passion lay in contributing to the art ecosystem in South-east Asia and Singapore, her home. “I accepted an offer to lead the inaugural edition of ART SG, where my creative input could make a difference, even at the earliest phases of establishing the fair,” she says.
As a result of her years working with auction houses, she gained a solid understanding of how the art market works and how factors such as provenance, rarity, historical value, and industry trends influence the value of artworks, and what creates demand in a commercial art environment. Her experience with high-value pieces, conservators, installers, art handlers, and insurers makes her the ideal ART SG director.
Performance rehearsal still of The Minimum by Mandy El-Sayegh (Lehmann Maupin/UTA Artist Space).
