A Night at the Gallery

Kim Camacho and Chong Siak Ching, co-chairs of the National Gallery Singapore's Gallery Benefit 2023, share what you can look forward to at the biennial fundraising gala-and its inaugural after-party

- Hashirin Nurin Hashimi

“Art, to me, is my life,” says Kim Camacho. She and her husband Lito, who divide their time between Singapore and Manila, have been collecting art since 1981. They own some of the most important works of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who is widely considered as one of the world’s most popular contemporary artists.

Aside from collecting, Camacho is steadfast in her support for the arts and the artistic community, even more so as co-chair of the National Gallery Singapore’s Gallery Benefit 2023, together with the museum’s CEO Chong Siak Ching. The biennial fundraiser, which will be held on November 17 at the gallery’s Supreme Court Terrace, connects philanthropists and art lovers based on their shared interest, “to foster new friendships, and support the National Gallery Singapore, which oversees the world’s largest public collection of Singapore and Southeast Asian modern art”, says Camacho. “What many people don’t realise is how reliant art institutions are on the generous donations of private individuals and corporate sponsors.”