At the helm of Whitestone Gallery Singapore, Priscilla Quek is steering one of the city's largest commercial art spaces towards a dynamic and inclusive future. With the gallery’s deep roots in Japanese art history and its recent ambitious global expansion, Priscilla’s mission is clear: to establish a vibrant dialogue between its prestigious East Asian collection and the rich, diverse art scene of Southeast Asia. Her work is a delicate balance of honouring a legacy while forging a new, locally resonant identity.
Whitestone Gallery, founded in 1967, embarked on a major expansion just before the pandemic, opening branches in key art hubs like Hong Kong, Beijing, and Seoul. The Singapore gallery, which includes the New Art Museum, was part of this strategic move. ‘What we were looking for was the key area where we could become the highlight of the art scene,’ Priscilla explains. This led them to a vast warehouse space near other major institutions, which they transformed into an elegant gallery.
While the gallery's collection is renowned for its Japanese and Chinese artists, Priscilla’s primary focus is on adaptation and connection. ‘Because we are so close to ASEAN, right… my central part of the work is to bring in works from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines. Whatever we can get,’ she states. This is no small task. Priscilla acknowledges the challenges, noting that Southeast Asian artists can be ‘culturally rooted and tend to be patriotic’, which can make them hesitant to join a Japanese gallery. It requires her to travel extensively, building relationships and trust from the ground up.
The gallery's philosophy for balancing its roster of emerging and established artists is a pragmatic one, driven by a keen observation of market trends. ‘We generally have a very good collection because artists have already established themselves so long ago,’ Priscilla says. For emerging artists, the approach is different. ‘We look for a price range that is more acceptable to the general public.’ This strategy allows Whitestone to cater to a broad spectrum of visitors, from seasoned collectors looking for blue-chip art to young enthusiasts just beginning their journey.
For those aspiring collectors, Priscilla offers insightful advice. She encourages them to first understand their motivation: is it for the pure enjoyment of the work, or is it an investment? For a young collector, she suggests a powerful strategy: ‘Look at artists who are young and emerging, and see that they also have a good portfolio, so they have the potential to grow with you.’ This way, as the collector ages, the artist’s work may grow in value alongside them. She also stresses the importance of having an independent art advisor, acknowledging that collecting is always a ‘hit and miss’ bet.
The gallery’s spirit is deeply influenced by the historic Japanese Gutai Movement. Priscilla explains that the founder’s immense love for Gutai inspired the New Art Museum’s logo, which is based on a work by Jiro Yoshihara. ‘If someone comes in and says they don't understand what Gutai is,’ she offers, ‘my straightforward answer is that if you know Jackson Pollock… that is how vital Gutai is to Japanese art history.’ While the movement has long since dissolved, Whitestone carries its ‘spirit of innovation’.
Having joined the gallery on 10 January 2025, Priscilla has had a whirlwind few months. Her proudest achievement to date is organising the gallery’s first dedicated Southeast Asian show, which successfully brought in more local artists and, consequently, more local visitors. ‘That was what was lacking,’ she admits. This initiative is a cornerstone of her vision for the gallery’s role in the city.
When asked to define Singapore's contemporary art scene, Priscilla points to its diversity as its greatest strength. ‘Because Singapore is a country with multiple identities, you will find artists having the same struggle,’ she says. This ‘identity crisis’, as she puts it, amplifies the range of art produced, making the scene incredibly interesting and difficult to pinpoint, but definitively ‘going somewhere’.
Priscilla’s goals for Whitestone are both ambitious and heartfelt. Her secondary goal is to leverage the gallery's impressive space to bring such a high calibre of work to Singapore that art lovers ‘don't have to leave the country to see art’. But her primary, more ‘selfish’ goal is deeply rooted in her new home. ‘My personal goal is to have the local art scene develop a stronger presence and support with Whitestone's help.’
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Want to learn more about Priscilla's vision for Whitestone Gallery and her insights into the art market? Read the full interview in EPHEMERA, the 6th volume of INTERLUNAR's zine.
