These murals, graffiti and installations, as well as on-site works by local and international street artists will have you picking up a spray can for your next project
Here at Honeycombers, we just can’t get enough of nostalgic murals, tongue-in-cheek graffiti tags and Instagram-worthy spots, and we’ve been doing all the city scouring for you (you’re welcome). For more eye-candies, the year is kicking off with Singapore Art Week 2018, and The ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands is taking artsy gems from the streets for an adventurous exhibition you won’t want to miss! Yes, you can now check out street art from around the world without having to jet there.
Here are some of the highlights to look out for…
Celebrating 40 years of street art
Specially curated by street art pro and gallerist Magda Danysz, the five-month-long exhibition celebrates street art that has been making waves worldwide, from its countercultural beginnings in the 1970s to its growing popularity in the world of contemporary art. Feast your eyes on over 200 large-scale murals, installations, prints, videos, archives and sketches that illustrate the diversity of the urban art movement. View the works of street art geniuses from around the world like Banksy, Futura, Invader, Shepard Fairey (Obey), JR, Blek le Rat and Vhils all in one space!
Six themed sections
Amp up your art appreciation with the exhibition’s six themed sections, starting with The Pioneers and the Masters — travel back in time to early 1970s New York when tags started appearing on trains. Artists like Blade and Seen were considered the masters behind the urban art form. The Advent of Message boasts the evolution of street art in the 1990s where lettered tags are turning into icons, logos and well-known faces, revealing profound meanings like self-reflection and social issues. Stencil World explores the quick method used in street art. New Writings presents a new generation of artists that use various forms typography to define individual styles. Art of the Context pays more attention to the surroundings by creating timeless aesthetics and strong messages to make the walls speak. Finish off the exhibition with Getting Up — see public facades turn into works of art through cutting, pasting, weaving and stencilling.
On-site creations
The museum has also invited 10 outstanding street artists from all over the world to create artworks within the galleries, including our very own urban artists Speak Cryptic and Sheryo & Yok. Real mad stuff: see street art come to life on the walls of the museum by global creatives such as Argentinian-Spanish artist Felipe Pantone, Paris-based Moroccan artist Tarek Benaoum, Polish graphic designer and illustrator M-City, French street artists Ludo, YZ and Zevs, London-based post-graffiti artist Remi Rough, and Yogyakarta-based artist Eko Nugroho. Explore each artist’s varied techniques and mediums, from stencilling, calligraffiti, painting and spraying to using “upcycling” materials, to create their Singapore-exclusive masterpieces.
Taking it to the streets
Can’t seem to get enough? Keep your eyes peeled as several artists will be taking their works to the streets. Catch Speak Cryptic’s stunning mural on bus SBS 502 that will be making rounds on the road from Soon Lee Depot to Downtown Station until February. Remi Rough’s bold street art will be part of ARTWALK Little India. Don’t miss Felipe Pantone’s striking new mural at the D/SINI festival at the Gillman Barracks.
Get those creative juices flowing
There’s even more — the ArtScience Museum has organised a number of discussions, film screenings, performances and workshops starting from 13 January. Join in the discussion on the evolution of street art with guest curator Magda Danysz, artists Remi Rough, Zul Othman (ZERO), Laurie Maravilla (SPAZ) and Priyageetha Dia, and more. Sit in for a performative live art installation featuring the storytelling of Speak Cryptic’s The Tribe. Learn more about street art through the documentaries screened, and tap on your inner creativity by joining art workshops. Tour guides are also available to accompany you throughout the exhibition.
The full list of programmes and details here.
Artsy type or not, there’s no better place to get inspired for your next creative project than at the Art on the Streets exhibition — book your tickets now!
Art from the Streets, 13 January – 3 June 2018, ArtScience Museum, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956