Howdy,
It’s time for another trip recap, this time in Singapore! A month ago I ventured to the island citystate, and apart from the endlessly hot and humid weather, it was a pleasant and fantastic trip through and through. Singapore has a pronounced love for street art and murals, and it’s surprising there isn’t as much coverage about it! I hope to change that in the future.
Just like the Japan trip, here’s a day by day recap:
Day 1: Flying to Singapore
All I did was fly from Sydney Airport before zooming straight to the hotel. The weather was a bit on the damp side, and we were losing sun fast.
Day 2: Hawker Centres and Downtown
Establishing Chinatown as base camp for the next couple of days, the first places were downtown and the surrounds of Chinatown. By noon, I’d already visited four hawker centres, including Lau Pa Sat (pictured below). Here, I introduce you to the realistic depictions of heritage by Yip Yew Chong, which are found all around Singapore. Below is a controversial piece by Sean Dunston, which depicts a Samsui woman taking a break with a lit cigarette. You can read about the controversy here, to which the notion to modify the mural was withdrawn.
For the rest of the afternoon, it was spent looking around Orchard Road (Singapore’s shopping area and retail heart) before catching an MRT to… Canberra, solely because of its resemblance to the capital city of Australia where I’m from. Yeah… that’s it.
Day 3: Chinatown and Sentosa
Well-rested from the day before, I spent the first couple of hours in the morning blitzing through some of the researched artworks all around Singapore, before making my way to Sentosa for a bit of R&R. We got rained out in the afternoon, so we took a nap before making our way to Gardens By the Bay to check out the floral exhibitions and the Supertree Grove’s Garden Rhapsody show. Here are some of the artworks found on the day.
Day 4: Marina Bay Sands and Bugis
Marina Bay Sands is probably the best vantage point for viewing Singapore’s beautiful skyline. Walking through many retail centres, the day ended in Bugis before spraining my ankle and calling it for the day. The mural on the bottom-right, also by Sean Dunston was taken during a drive-by taxi ride.
Day 5: Kampong Gelam and Joo Chiat Road
What was thought to be a dive into heritage and history turned out to be an enthralling mural ride. The area around Sultan Mosque (particularly Haji Lane) is filled with the brim with artworks! It was so pleasant being surprised turning every corner and seeing yet another artwork. In a conversation with a local, this area was one of the first to commission a large-scale mural (by Didier aka JabaOne) without prior approval from the authorities, but has eventually paved the way for street art to emerge and flourish in this space. Here are a few from each of the areas:
Kampong Glam
Joo Chiat Road
Day 6: Jalan Besar
From Bendemeer on the way to Little India, this area was also a pleasant surprise with brimming street art. Apart from being approached by many restaurant owners to come dine in, the area was a delight to the olfactory senses and with so much variety, it was again yet another joyful walk all around.
Day 7: Clarke Quay/Bras Basah
The final day of the trip. Singapore being so small and concentrated and so well connected to public transport made this trip so incredibly seamless. Everywhere is also pleasant to walk. The last couple of hours was spent checking out spaces near the Singapore River and the civic area (including the National Museum of Singapore and universities) before heading back to the airport. The airport, as you may know is a destination in itself, which featured one last corridor piece before our departure back home. And why not add a photo of the Rain Vortex at the end because where else are you going to find something like this!?
Singapore is packed with activity. The whole city seems to be a construction zone, but when they do things, they do them well! The artworks through the city were a delight to see, However, be prepared to face the humidity and heat, it definitely was an inhibiting factor piling on fatigue to each day’s adventures.
The city absolutely left a great impression on me, perhaps a bit more than Japan! Upon researching and uploading all the artworks, I’ve come to realise I’ve only just scratched the surface of the street art scene in Singapore, because there are a whole heck more of them in the other towns within Singapore such as Jurong, Pasir Ris, Ang Mo Kio, and others. I will return soon!
You can view more information of all the artworks featured in this recap, and much more on Street Art Cities right here. The number of documented artworks increased from 28 → 190 (including historic artworks). I swear, there are more than a thousand.
Onwards to the next adventure in just over a fortnight’s time, New Zealand’s South Island!