In collaboration with Tatler Asia

Philippines-born, Singapore-based Bea Camacho is an artist and collector. Her collection reflects her own artistic interests: time, transformation, and process. Primarily known for her work in performance and conceptual art, Camacho often pushes physical and temporal boundaries in her practice. In one of her most striking performances, she spent 11 hours crocheting red yarn around herself, creating a cocoon-like enclosure around her body. Slow and meditative, the performance was a physical manifestation of isolation and endurance. Together, Camacho’s work and art collection reflect an ongoing fascination with how art intersects with life.

‘I never set out to be a collector. When I first started acquiring art, it wasn’t because I wanted to build a collection – it was because I wanted to support my friends whose art I admired. Many of the earliest pieces I bought were by artists I knew personally, and even now, that remains one of the strongest motivations.

‘For me, art is more than an object; it holds memories of conversations, collaborations, and shared experiences. Some of the pieces in my collection mark important moments in my life, whether it’s a friend’s solo exhibition, a project we worked on together, or simply an artwork that resonated with me at a particular time.

‘While my own artistic practice focuses on performance, installation, and conceptual art, my collection is quite varied. I collect paintings, drawings, photographs, prints, collages, assemblages, sculptural installations, and video works. The common thread is not medium or style but a sense of experimentation and thoughtfulness – qualities I admire in both the artists and their works.

‘My parents’ approach to collecting was always deeply personal. One of my earliest memories related to art is of my mother telling my siblings and me, “If there is ever a fire, the first thing I would save is this drawer.” The drawer she was referring to didn’t contain rare masterpieces or valuable prints – it held our childhood drawings and handmade crafts. That moment shaped my understanding of what makes something valuable. It’s not just about the price; it’s about meaning, memory, and emotional connection.

‘My parents started collecting Filipino Modern masters shortly after they got married. As my brother and I pursued art in university, their focus began to shift; they became more interested in contemporary and conceptual art, influenced by our studies. Over time, their collection grew to include international artists, with a particular focus on Yayoi Kusama, whose work they began collecting in 2005; Gutai artists, reflecting their interest in postwar Japanese experimental art and its focus on physical engagement with materials; and Alfonso Ossorio, a Filipino American artist whose expressive, emotionally charged work intrigued them. Even today, collecting remains a family activity – we visit art fairs together, exchange thoughts on new artists, and discuss how to grow the collection in ways that feel meaningful.

‘I’ve lived in the Philippines, the US, China, and Singapore, and each place has influenced my collecting in different ways. In the US, I collected small-scale works by American artists, often through auctions. In Shanghai, I became interested in Chinese contemporary art and acquired a piece by Chen Wei, an artist whose staged photographs create cinematic, dreamlike realities. Now, living in Singapore, my focus has expanded to Southeast Asian art, with works by artists from Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and beyond. Each time I move, my collection evolves with me. It reflects not only my interests but also the artistic communities I become part of.

‘Moving forward, I want to explore how durational performance [which is sustained over long periods of time] can intersect with installation and video. I will continue collecting – with an even more curated and intentional approach – and find new ways to bridge the roles of artist and collector, allowing my practice and my collection to inform and shape one another.

‘For me, art has never been about simply acquiring things – it has always been about engagement, dialogue, and process. Whether I’m creating or collecting, my goal is the same: to seek out work that challenges boundaries, invites conversation, and lingers in memory long after the moment has passed.’