With something in store for everyone, there’s no reason to miss out on all the action at Aliwal Urban Art Festival 2016.

Livening up the Kampong Gelam conservation district once again is the Aliwal Urban Art Festival, an annual celebration of multi-disciplinary arts and international street culture through a multitude of mediums and personalities.

Proudly organized by Aliwal Arts Centre, this third edition will be headlined by a contemporary art exhibition titled Cannot be Bo(a)rdered. Featuring 16 notable artists from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, the exhibition will showcase new artworks and installations that incorporate skateboards in never-seen-before ways, all in the name of exploring skate culture and the youth rebellion associated with it.

Singaporean artists whose work will be displayed include Speak Cryptic, Traseone and Dominic Jacob Clark, while Donald Abraham and Nizam Rahmat from Malaysia, as well as Indonesia’s Bambang Toko and Popok Tri Wahyudi, will have their masterpieces put up as well. Using creative and visual expressions that they’re known for, each artist aims to challenge existing stereotypes about skate culture from their unique point of view,

Aliwal Urban Art Festival will also play host to The Asphalt Challenge, a skate competition organized by Skate SG. The Aliwal Street carpark will be closed and transformed into a skatepark for amateur and experienced skaters to shock and awe with their mad skills and gravity-defying moves.

Mediocre Haircut Crew

Part of the carpark will also be turned into a performing space, where musical talents like Mediocre Haircut Crew, Fauxe and .Wav(y) will entertain the crowd with their blend of hip hop and electronic beats. While the music’s playing, keep an eye out for the Rscls crew, who will be doing live graffiti at prominent spots.

The Singapore Music Society will also be bringing its curated list of bands and performers such as Cesspit, Take Two and Dru Chen, to the festival, where they will hold live performances in the Aliwal Arts Centre’s multi-purpose hall.

Just a glimpse of how zines are made

In a bid to foster community spirit, Aliwal Urban Art Festival has also organized a series of workshops to impart knowledge to visitors. DJ KoFlow, a renowned beatmaker in the Asia music circuit, will be conducting an exclusive two-hour workshop on music production, showing how to create beats and remix tracks.

Separately, a mysterious group of self-proclaimed social misfits will also teach the art of creating zines — self-published magazines that contain niche topics for specific audiences. Using cut and paste methods, this DIY workshop is a breath of fresh air in an age where online blogs have become a norm.

Aliwal Urban Art Festival 2016
Date: Saturday, January 16th 2016
Time: 5pm till late
Venue: 28 Aliwal Street, Singapore 199918
Admission: Free

The Aliwal Urban Art Festival is part of Singapore Art Week, an initiative by the National Arts Council, in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Economic Development Board. For more information, visit the official event page.