Guide to Aliwal Urban Art Festival: Live Graffiti, Pop-Up Market, and More

Hip and cool as it already is, the historically-rich neighbourhood of Kampong Glam will be brimming with urban art and street subculture as the Aliwal Urban Art Festival opens anew at the Aliwal Arts Centre this Jan. 27.
"Ground Up," the free festival's theme this 2024, foregrounds Singapore's vibrant indie and fringe art scene, bringing together a collective of artists whose very act of creating champions non-conformity, authenticity, and the unconventional.
This year's festival promises a full-day celebration of urban art, street culture, and youth subculture, showcased across various events and programmes, such as visual art shows, drop-in activities, live graffiti painting, a pop-up art market, and more. To get you all geared up for Aliwal Urban Art Festival 2024, here's what to expect from six of the must-see events and highlights that await you this Saturday.
'The 10 Year Series,' a Retrospective Exhibition

Aliwal Urban Art Festival has been engaged with urban art collective RSCLS since the latter's inception in 2014, a partnership that has produced manifold art and community events and collaborations in Singapore. In celebration of this 10-year feat, RSCLS kicks off the Aliwal Urban Art Festival with this retrospective exhibition, featuring visual arts from the festival, The Rebel Daughters, the collective itself, and Kampong Glam's urban art scene. It charts the journey of the community through archival works and images, encapsulating the zeitgeist of Singapore's urban art and how far it's gone, as well as offering hope on what's yet to come.
Note: This exhibit features some nudity.
When: 12 PM-7 PM, Jan. 25-28
Where: Music Studio
Pop-Up Art Market
The festival will also have a pop-up market curated by The Social Exchange. Look out for various products and merch created by artisans and craft artists in Singapore and support the local art market by taking home your own unique treasures. The Social Exchange was created in 2016 with one goal in mind: to bring to the fore the city-state's artisans, crafters, and art vendors under one platform where they can showcase their products and the colourful stories thereof.
When: 12 PM-8 PM, Jan. 27
Where: Multipurpose Studios A & B
GRAFFIGHT X - AUAF 2024 Edition
This year is also the 10th anniversary of GRAFFIGHT, recognised as Singapore's foremost graffiti battle. The festival will be hosting its finals with RSCLS, featuring some of the best graffiti writers from Batam, Indonesia. The preliminary round of GRAFFIGHT was held at The Blackbook Studio in Batam, with the winners now up to battle for the top spot at the fest. This year's GRAFFIGHT X - AUAF 2024 Edition will likewise see the comeback of RSCLS' Wall's & Wieners, which melds barbecue and live painting throughout the city-state.
When: 12 PM-5 PM, Jan. 27
Where: Courtyards A and B
AUAF 2024: Live Painting
Aside from the finals of GRAFFIGHT, the festival will also feature a live painting of the back and side alley walls of Aliwal Arts Centre. Curated by RSCLS, this vibrant live graffiti painting will spotlight the works of graffiti artists ASNO, LIARBEN, VUIQÀ, SENK, DEMSTER, and SONG. Make sure not to miss out on witnessing this cool event!
When: 12 PM-6 PM
Where: Back Wall and Side Alley
'Roots – An Explorative Journey'
Dive deep into Indian performing arts with "Roots," a dance performance by Kalpavriksha Fine Arts (KFA), a non-profit art collective with roots in the Hindu mythology of "Kalpavriksha" or the "tree of fulfillment." The organisation was created by Bharatanatyam dancers Meera Balasubramanian, Sruti Pegatraju, and Shruthi Ramesh in 2016 to champion the Indian dance community in Singapore's dance scene.
At this year's fest, "Roots" will showcase the origins of the Indian classical dance Bharatanatyam, its richness in history and culture, as well as its evolution throughout the years. Viewers will have the opportunity to watch the talented dancers of KFA accompanied by specially curated songs that intertwine with the ancient art form's traditions.
Note: "Roots" will feature an Artist Talk after the performance.
When: 1:30 PM-2 PM
Where: Multipurpose Hall
Urban Sounds
Music will also reverberate around the Aliwal Arts Centre, thanks to Urban Sounds. One of the highlights of the festival, this event curated by music company LINCH will see the performances of Singapore's up-and-coming and multi-hyphenate music artists like YAØ, Khally, and Akeem Jahal. The three artists will make sure to bring the freshest and coolest jams at the fest, from soulful vocals and mesmerising pop to avant-garde hip-hop!
When: 6 PM-8:40 PM
Where: Multipurpose Hall
Location: Aliwal Arts Centre, 28 Aliwal Street
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