Singapore’s urban art scene is alive and well, and there’s no better place to dive into it than at Aliwal Urban Art Festival. The annual affair is back on January 27, 2024, when it will take over Aliwal Arts Centre (AAC) in a one-day extravaganza of live graffiti painting, music and dance performances, open studio sessions, and art and craft workshops.
Anchoring the event is a retrospective exhibition by urban art collective RSCLS. Titled “The 10 Year Series – Retrospective of 10 Years of AUAF Art, Solidarity Movement, Rebel Daughters”, it’ll give you a taste of Singapore’s urban art culture through past RSCLS programmes, including those done in collaboration with other groups like Solidarity Movement, GraffFIGHT, and Rebel Daughters.
There’s no talking about Kampong Gelam without talking about its many vibrant murals too. Reflecting that aspect of the neighbourhood, the art festival will also be the site of the GraffFIGHT X graffiti competition finals. Watch the finalists live painting AAC’s walls in a fight for the top prize. D’Tours will also return with an alternative walking tour of Kampong Gelam’s murals and street art, a great opportunity to learn more about the talented artists behind the works.
Want to get in touch with your creative side? Sign up for theatre, dance, and visual art workshops. Let your inhibitions go and learn theatre art with companies like The Improv Co., Nine Years Theatre, Chowk Productions, and DASSAD; or pick up singing and acting tips with New Opera. Go behind the scenes with Chinese Opera Studio too, who will be showing guests their fascinating makeup and costume transformation.
There are many more opportunities to get acquainted with urban art and artists. Watch vibrant performances by dance groups and dance ensembles, step into the studios (and artistic processes) of Wolfsloth, Chris Chai, and Hothouse, and shop for unique creative goods at a pop-up market by The Social Exchange. As the sun goes down, Aliwal Urban Art Festival will pump it up with a hip-hop party, complete with a street dance shindig by the duo ScRach MarcS.
For full programme details at Aliwal Urban Art Festival, visit artshouselimited.sg/aac-auaf-2024.