Artists in Singapore: These street graffiti artists are spraying their tags all over town — legally

Singapore's government might have a less-than-favourable relationship when it comes to street art and freedom of creative expression, but when — ahem — approved spaces are designated during art festivals and public commissions, our local graffiti artists don't disappoint. Referencing calligraphy, mythology and fantasy — the aesthetics of Singapore's street art talent are as diverse as the country's cultural makeup.

Speak Cryptic

Farizwan Fajari (aka Speak Cryptic) might be the only Singaporean street artist who has managed to cross over into the mainstream art industry through gallery representation. Currently represented by Chan + Hori Contemporary and Gallery Krisstel Martin, he draws inspiration for his signature black-and-white works from the cultures of punk, underground music, and his Baweanese heritage.

Trase One

Highly respected as one of the early pioneers of the local street art scene, self-taught graffiti artist Trase One has strived to develop his artistic practice throughout the years. He received the Goh Chok Tong Youth Promise Award in 2005, and went on to complete his undergraduate studies in 2007. His style is always evolving, and his works are often site-specific in nature.

Ceno2 

Arguably one of Singapore's most prominent graffiti artists, Ceno2 aka Azlan Ramlan has made his mark all over the world including several hundred in Chicago and New York as well as around the Metropolitan Avenue area in Brooklyn and Germany's Hyatt Regency Mainz.

ANTZ

An art director by profession and co-founder of design collective Geeksigners, Anthony Chong's (or ANTZ, as he is known) body of works reference Chinese culture, identity, dialect, and mythology.

SYCO03

SYCO03's first gig was a mural completed for Zouk in 1999. Today, he has worked with the likes of Converse, Nike, and National Youth Council.

ZERO

Founder of the urban art collective RSCLS, Zulkarnaen Othman — more commonly known as ZERO — had a tough journey that led him to be a full-time artist in the early 2000s. Since then, he has been commissioned by numerous festivals and exhibitions locally and is actively involved in teaching and mentoring to ensure the growth of Singapore's street art scene.

Ink and Clog

Formed in 2012, Eman Jeman and Nadirah Abdul Razak's style revolves around the concept of calculative geometric patterns. They have created murals globally including in Japan, Korea and Mexico. To date, they have racked up esteemed clients such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft.

Slacsatu

Founder of street art collective Zinc Nite Crew (ZNC) and co-owner of specialised graffiti store The Black Book, Rozaimie Sahbie is a full-time graffiti artist and art instructor. He is also part of graffiti crews in Los Angeles and Kuala Lumpur.

Shen3

Founder of a web design and developing firm, Desmond Shen hopes that graffiti will one day be appreciated with the same reverence as traditional fine art.

Pedmons

A motion graphic designer by day and a graffiti artist by night, Pratama Eka Dharma has ambitions to produce his own line of art toys someday as achieved by local players MightyJaxx and FlabSlab.

Studio Moonchild

Studio Moonchild is the collaborative effort of two Singaporean artists, ANACATHIE and FREAKYFIR. After numerous years in the toy and game industries, the pair expresses themselves through graffiti and mural art that incorporates their mutual love of pop-culture, anime, and manga art.