Indoor art galleries are cool, but outdoor art galleries are cooler. Below, check out four open-air galleries and mini museums that prove art can be fun, accessible but still sophisticated.
Gelam Gallery
The first outdoor art gallery to ever open in Singapore is located at the back alleys of Muscat Street within Kampong Gelam. Featuring paintings by art professionals as well as graduates from local art schools such as Laselle and NAFA, Gelam Gallery is simply brimming with vivid imagery. And just like indoor museums, the outdoor gallery still highlights paintings with frames and artwork descriptions, proving that it isn’t just a random display of graffiti and murals.
Look out for artist Bianca Goetz’s geometrical obsessions and works by local graffiti pioneer Slacsatu.
Hall of Fame Kampong Gelam
Launched late April 2021, the new and exuberant graffiti Hall of Fame is Singapore’s largest open-air gallery and the first official space in Southeast Asia to allow artists to paint freely and legally. Spanning Bali Lane and Ophir Road, the new initiative is inspired by the precinct’s role in nurturing the local street art scene.
So check out works by a total of 17 Singapore-based artists, all of whom have already unleashed their creativity on some prominent five-metre tall walls over a collective 230-metre stretch within the space.
Awe-inspiring masterpieces include The Journey and Constant Elevation; the former is a visual mashup of the precint’s past and present while the latter is a collaborative piece by prolific artists ANTZ, Didier ‘Jaba’ Mathieu and Hegira.
Street Corner Heritage Galleries – Balestier
Street Corner Heritage Galleries first landed in the Balestier neighbourhood, an area known for famous local eats like chicken rice and bak kut teh. And with the introduction of small-scale exhibitions offering historical documents, photographs, artefacts and more, Singaporeans have been given the opportunity to truly get to know the district beyond its dishes.
The places now part of the NHB scheme include traditional bakery Loong Fatt Tau Sar Piah, Lam Yeo Coffee Powder Factory, and Sweetlands Confectionery and Bakery.
Street Corner Heritage Galleries – Kampong Gelam
It’s no secret that some of the best old-school haunts in Kampong Gelam are steeped in history. For the second installment of NHB’s Street Corner Heritage Galleries, head to the cultural precinct to visit mini museums located at various store premises, showcasing the history and heritage of local businesses and trades.
Some of the most recognisable names along Arab Street that now have their very own displays include the famous tea stall Bhai Sarbat Singapore, clothing store Sin Hin Chuan Kee and perfume shop V.S.S. Varusai Mohamed & Sons.
More information available here.
