Known for its abundant colours and outdoor murals, Kampong Gelam ups the ante with a brand new visitor experience, Southeast Asia’s first official graffiti Hall of Fame. Launching 28 April 2021 on an unprecedented scale, 17 Singapore-based artists will unleash their expression on prominent five-metre tall walls over a collective 230-metre stretch along Bali Lane and Ophir Road.
Led by One Kampong Gelam, the association representing and supporting the interests of stakeholders in the precinct, Hall of Fame @ Kampong Gelam is an initiative that is also supported by the Singapore Tourism Board, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Land Transport Authority, and GS Engineering & Construction Corporation.
Kampong Gelam: Singapore’s Leading Street Art Precinct
Home to traditional businesses and the iconic cultural landmarks, Sultan Mosque and the former Sultan’s palace, Kampong Gelam2 naturally became one of the city state’s arts and cultural hub. It was gazetted as a conservation area in 1989 and was a popular spot for catching performances like wayang kulit and ketoprak
in the past.
Over the decades, artists, musicians, and business owners have maintained an organic growth for the thriving and diverse urban arts hub we know today. Murals and street art sprouted in Kampong Gelam as early as 2010, many of which were commissions pioneered by business owners. The addition of Southeast Asia’s first official graffiti Hall of Fame strengthens Kampong Gelam’s position as Singapore’s leading street art precinct and the country’s largest open-air gallery.
Hall of Fame: Turning Adversity Into Opportunity
It contributes to exchange in the urban arts scene and the development of the generations of street artists, enabling them to work more freely. Spanning a whopping 131 metres along Bali Lane and 107 metres along Ophir Road, the five-metre high Hall of Fame is set to be one of the most prominent street art experiences in the region. Originally erected as noise barriers for ongoing construction works, the metal canvases will become an evolving stage for the best muralists from Singapore and eventually, the world.
Committed to keeping the precinct lively and full of fresh appeal, One Kampong Gelam representative and Blu Jaz owner Aileen Tan says, “The ongoing construction work has impacted some businesses and shopfronts. That’s why we are working with the stakeholders to mitigate and transform the noise barriers into a public art space instead.”
She continues, “Artists are the best people to visualise stories of adversity turned opportunity. We’re honored to have the support of the Singapore Tourism Board, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Land Transport Authority and GS Engineering & Construction to bring this to life.”
Hall of Fame: Celebrating Singapore’s Urban Artists
This world-class Hall of Fame celebrates vibrancy, diversity and a freedom of expression, as large-scale artworks are painted in an array of signature styles. Kicking off the production are 17 artists, ranging from established faces to rising names, who have set the bar high for the quality of murals to come.
Prolific street artists ANTZ and Didier ‘Jaba’ Mathieu present stand-alone murals on Bali Lane as well as a collaborative piece on Ophir Road with Hegira, Singapore’s pioneering representative to the international street art scene back in 2003. It is the first time that the trio are painting a collaborative piece together, drawing deeply from the essence and charm of Kampong Gelam.
Constant Elevation is their fictive imagination of the precinct, replete with friendly street cats and red-roof shophouses. Ophir Road will also see The Journey, a mashup of the precint’s past and present, and inspired by five of the artists’ personal memories of Kampong Gelam. Artist duo Studio Moonchild depict a child of many cultures, a metaphor for how the traditional and contemporary co-exist uniquely, while Dem imagines artists as ubiquitous flying pigeons, growing and spreading their wings on their own journeys. KILAS and Boon Baked then create a time portal, bringing the four murals together by telling a story of the precinct’s fictional past.
On Bali Lane, view a light-hearted piece from AshD and NOEZ23, who reimagine graffiti artists as contemporary pendekars (martial arts masters) equipped with bright-coloured spray-cans. Has.J’s playful, abstract mural mirrors pedestrians on the street, communicating how we each walk the line in our own unique ways. Full-time tattoo artist Sei10 sprays the environmentally-charged Tamotori Hime (The Pearl Diver), seamlessly marrying Japanese folklore with the precinct’s Batik heritage to tell a story of the state of our current world.
QR codes will accompany the murals, allowing visitors to access the Hall of Fame microsite, complete with artist information and artwork descriptions. The artists will also be joining forces in a three-episode mini-series Street Art in Kampong Gelam, which features insights from stakeholders including the Manager of Aliwal Arts Centre Kenneth Chng.Covering topics like the evolution of Singapore’s urban art scene and the role of public art in society, the first episode will debut on Wednesday, 19 May 2021 on the microsite at www.HOF.visitkamponggelam.com.sg.
SingapoReimagine: Co-creation Across Borders
In the spirit of celebrating regional talent, the Hall of Fame welcomes its first cross-culture collaboration, taking place remotely between popular Indonesian muralist Stereoflow and Singaporean artist ZERO. Part of Singapore Tourism Board Indonesia’s SingapoReimagine campaign, which aims to spark conversations to reimagine the future of travelling, the duo will present one holistic narrative across borders titled ‘Under the Same Sun’. ZERO’s signature style will be remixed and presented as part of the Hall of Fame on Bali Lane while Stereoflow will paint
his signature remix at M Bloc Space, Jakarta.
Re-Experience: Events At Kampong Gelam
Alongside the Hall of Fame, visitors can also look forward to related activities and urban experiences offered in the precinct. Connect with the energy of Kampong Gelam through curated self-guided walking tours, artist-led spray-painting workshops, and refreshed neighbourhood adventures. More details will be released at a later date.
For more information, please visit www.HOF.visitkamponggelam.com.sg.