We take you on a leisurely walk through the opening evening of Art Stage Singapore, arguably Asia?s second-best fair after Art Basel Hong Kong, where the sparkling creativity ensures that despite questions, art lives on

On a beautiful evening by the bay, there hangs a pleasant chill, the city twinkling in a myriad hue of lights. Marina Bay Sands (MBS), hosting Art Stage Singapore 2013, rises stately, with the stunning helix-shaped bridge and ArtScience Museum (designed by renowned architect Moshe Safdie) in the foreground and boats sailing into the languid sunset. People are just beginning to stream into MBS for the grand opening of Art Stage.

The entrance is welcoming, with a massive installation in glistening steel of a ghostly skull by French artist Philippe Pasqua. Inside the posh venue, women in sequined dresses float under a ceiling of steel industrial fixtures. Wealthy art dealers, wealthier collectors and genuine art buffs swirl in the colour of art.

Art Stage, initiated by fair director Lorenzo Rudolf, is in its third year and is back?bigger and better. The contemporary Asian art fair is on a roll, with 130 participating galleries, the majority of whom are from Asia Pacific.

The fair is divided into two sections?one section is for established galleries. There is the blue-chip gallery, White Cube (London), around the corner showing contemporary artwork?think Damien Hirst?s sea of butterflies. There is ARNDT (Berlin) showing young Asian artists, Bogena Galerie (France) showing modern masters, and Galerie Perrotin (France) and Art Front (Japan), both displaying contemporary artwork.

ARNDT is dominated by an expansive work in white, blue and black by Javanese artist Entang Wiharso. ARNDT is also showing Jitish Kallat?s acrylic and pencil canvas Allegory of the Unfolding Sky. The crowd pleaser at ARNDT (besides the vivacious assistant) is Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota?s State of Being, an artwork of a globe, spun with an intricate web encased in a cubical glass cage.

Galerie Bogena offers a rich repertoire of Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro; Galerie Perrotin features a prominent installation of a twisted circle of balls suspended in thin air by artist Jean-Michel Othoniel.

And there is the impressive installation titled Elevated Cities by Japanese artist Bumpei Kado by Art Front Gallery, featuring a collection of houses perched atop thin vertical rods that sway and hum with a slight touch, depicting the rhythm of cities.

There are treats in the hallway. You will chance upon a vivid brush stroke of yellow marked with specks of black that can only be by celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, and a muted pastel by a young Korean artist Lee Jeongwoong (yes, young as in born in 1982).

Around the corner is the second section??Project Stage? for new, emerging artists. This features artwork by young artists from all over the world?from Shinji Ohmaki (Japan), Maitree Siriboon (Thailand) to William Mackinnon (Australia). Emerging Chinese artist Shi Jing?s works are stark white and black canvases. But take heart?these swathes of white and black (seen under frame-mounted LED lights), composed of a series of intricate brush strokes, reveal images that change tone from every angle.

The fair honours Indonesian artists, easily the darlings of the Asian art circuit. Indonesian artists are showing at many galleries?particularly eye-catching was I Nyoman Masriadi?s Dirty Talking. Art Stage boasts of an Indonesian Pavilion featuring a range of contemporary artists (more than 20 hail from Yogyakarta), as well as art collectives. Participating are Budi Kustarto (also known as Budi Swiss, best known for self-portraiture), acclaimed sculptor Dadang Christanto (who lives in Australia) and Balinese sculptor Pintor Sirait. A gallerist (who refused to be named) says, ?In terms of the market, Indonesian artists are the Chinese artists of 15 years ago.?

The fair is not all commerce, but etched with educational events, side exhibitions and special nights. There are ?Talks At Art Stage?, a series of talks by artists, curators and collectors. Speakers include collectors Uli Sigg and Lekha Poddar.

There is also a special night at the Gillman Barracks. Once ram-shackled army barracks, they have been smartly refurbished and now host 13 top-notch art galleries such as Sundaram Tagore (Hong Kong), Mizuma (Japan) and ARNDT (Berlin) all playing host. Pearl Lam (Shanghai and Hong Kong) is expected to open in 2013.

Besides, Singapore Art Museum (SAM) is hosting ?The Collectors Show: Weight of History?, which is receiving rave reviews for its top-notch installations, strong pieces and professional layout.

The success of a bigger Art Stage lies in its unconventional approach of reaching out and embracing new artists, experimental works and upcoming galleries in Asia. And, of course, galleries that cannot make it to the posh Art Basel Hong Kong because of costs and cut-throat competition stand a chance here.

Art critic Rebecca Catching says that while Art Stage is undoubtedly Asia?s second best fair after Art Basel Hong Kong, she is disappointed by the paucity of buyers. Says Catching, ?The artwork is very diverse but installations not as cutting-edge as last year.?

On the downside, Art Stage stands to be compared with the kingpin of the art fair circuit?Art Basel Hong Kong. Magnus Renfrew (fair director of ART HK since its inception in 2007) has made good on his claim of ?repositioning? Hong Kong as a vibrant centre of art. Galleries are flocking to Hong Kong?Gagosian (New York), White Cube (London), Platform China (Beijing) and Shanghai gallery Island 6, to name a few.

Here at Art Stage, a crowd of Scandinavians stand amused by the sheer audacity of Ai Wei Wei?s latest wicked offering titled Aibudao (Ai cannot fall). The installation consists of four tumble toys, in red, maroon, dark brown and black, sitting potbellied and spread diagonally across the room. A ?Mad International Tribune? explaining the installation is being generously shared with passers-by. The tallest Scandinavian says, ?This is Ai Wei Wei?s politics …and art?.

Here, this installation in collaboration with toymaker Eric So (who has similarly made toy figures of Bruce Lee and Michael Jordon), is a tumble toy which tumbles, but does not fall. Of course, the reading is clear?come what the Communist Party may do to Ai, he shall not fall, good reason for Gangnam.

Will Art Stage tumble? Critics say Lorenzo Rudolf?s other venture, SH Contemporary, which he initiated in Shanghai in 2007, nose-dived (since he left), and this does not augur well for Art Stage?s destiny.

For now, it is a splendid night that draws to a close?though unanswered questions about Art Stage?s future momentum and direction linger. At the Singapore bay, heady in the evening perfume of frangipani and halia, it is another day for art.

The writer is a Singapore-based sinologist