Katong- Joo Chiat is well known for its Peranakan Culture.
Here, you can visit colourful shophouses and eat famous local Laksa and Prawn. Mee. Other than heritage and food, there is a Street Art Culture in this vicinity too.
There are a total of 10 distinct Street Art found in the area. Here is a
suggested route on how to see all of them at one go!
JOO CHIAT ROAD
1 Kway Guan Huat Joo Chiat Popiah (2019)
Location: 95 Joo Chiat Road Singapore 427389
Start your Street Art journey at Kway Guan Huat Popiah. This stall has been
around since 1938, making Popiah and Kueh Pie Tee.
There are 2 murals by Jaxton Su on the right and left side of the shop.
The left showed an elderly and a child making popiah the traditional way while
the right shows a street hawker of yesteryears
2 Style Wars - Ernest Zacharevic (2013)
Location: Junction of Everitt Road and Joo Chiat Terrace, opposite Joo Chiat
Terrace Park
This was done in 2013 by the well known international street artiste,
Ernest Zacharevic. He is famous for his works in street art in Penang, Malaysia that is now
very much a part of the city heritage.
This work was initiated by local residents. An interesting fact was that he got a ticket for inconsiderate boom-lift parking when he painted this. The artwork depicts 2 children on imaginary horses having a duel with paint roller and mop. Very cool.
3 High Tide - Helen Le Chatelier & Christine Chia (2019)
Location: Koon Seng Road, alley next to the colourful Peranakan Houses
Next head to the famous colourful Peranakan houses along Koon Seng Road.
Tucked away in an alley is a wall of art by Helen Le Chatelier
with poems by Christine Chia
.
The artwork was named High Tide to reflect flooding that once plagues this
area.
As a bonus, you can take Instagram worthy photos with the colourful
Peranakan houses too.
4 A History of Healing (2019)
Location: ScanTeak Building Wall facing carpark
341 Joo Chiat Rd Singapore 427593
Head down the road towards East Coast Road, and you will see a Scanteak building. Go the carpark next to it, and you will be greeted by a giant the mural that spans the whole building.
The artwork is named as
A History of Healing. It is linked to what this building used to house. In the past, this is
a very distinct red building that housed the Joo Chiat Maternal and Child
Health Clinic established in 1907. It was initially set up to deal with the high mortality rate in Singapore during that period. After the wall,
the clinic shifted to cater to the nation's general public who are
affected by Japanese Occupation.
5 MoonChild (2019 and 2020)
Location: Behind Katong Point
451 Joo Chiat Road S 427664
These 2 street art are not listed on the official KJC (Katong - Joo
Chiat) street circuit.
Both are creations of
StudioMoon Child, a collaborative effort of 2 Singaporean artists, ANACATHIE and
FREAKYFIR. Their artwork leans towards Japanese Manga style with a modern flair. From their website, it would seem that this wall is painted over annually.
EAST COAST ROAD
6 Rumah Bebe Dancing Perankan Ladies
Location: Behind Ruman Bebe, access through side road next to AlibabaR
Hawker Bar or alley along East Coast Road next to Kim Choo Kueh Chang
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The next destination is along East Coast Road. Before you reach, turn
into the small road next to AlibabaR Hawker Bar and there you will find
a handful of Street Art behind the row of shophouses.
The first that caught our eye was a mural featuring dancing Peranakans.
There is no description of who the artist is, but it is an interesting
art paying homage to its roots.
7 Dumpling Girl (2019)
Location: Behind Kim Choo Kueh Chang, access through side road next to AlibabaR
Hawker Bar or alley along East Coast Road next to Kim Choo Kueh Chang
Fly up with Dumpling Ballons. This mural is located next to the Dancing Peranakan and behind
Kim Choo Kueh Chang, famous for its dumplings. It features a lady in Peranakan Gear floating in the air with Dumpling Ballons.
You could see the floating effect when viewed from a certain angle7 Dumpling Girl.
8 #MedleyAlley - Nicia Lam, Valerie Neo, Novena Angela, Yullis Lam(2019)
Location: Behind Kim Choo Kueh Chang, access through side road next to AlibabaR Hawker Bar or alley along East Coast Road next to Kim Choo Kueh Chang.
Just a few steps away, you will reach Medley Alley. It's a small alley leading up to the main road - East Coast Road. Coated in bright yellow, it has a pair of wings that are covered with mosaics.
The wings are more apparent if the view from East Coast Road. The Mural is created by a team of 4 comprising Nicia Lam, Valerie Neo, Novena Angela, and Yullis Lam.
While you are there, do pop into
Rumah Bebe t check out the mini Peranakan Music. Have a bite of
Kim Choo Kueh Chang before you continue your journey.
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| Rumah Bebe |
9 Turtle Cape -Ink and Clog (2019)
Location: Building next to Mount Pleasant Veterinary Center
152 East Coast Road S428855a
Your next stop is a short walk away. Cross the other side of the road and head towards Mount Pleasant Veterinary Center. Here you will see a large Turtle swimming on a blue wall. It is a nod to neighbouring Tanjong Katong which is Malay for Turtle Point. The name Katong was also derived from a Javanese word for the leatherback turtle.
The mural is titled
Turtle Cape by The Ink and Clog Studio.
10 Justified - Unkown artist
Location: St Patrick's Road, near Odyssey Preschool
Further down East Coast Road towards Siglap, head towards Still Road. Near the junction of Still Road and St Patrick's Road, you would come across this mural. This is not listed on the KJC Art scene, and it is a private artwork done up by the owner of the house.
There is a Chinese term that stood for Justified.
The whole route is approximately 2.5 to 3 km long. It is walkable and would probably take you about 1.5 hours to complete it. After your last stop, head back out to East Coast Rd. There are plenty of food options for you to choose to refuel after a long walk!
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| Beach Road Prawn Noodle. |
Have fun exploring Katong!
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