A 2026 Insider’s Guide to Singapore’s Vibiest Street Art: Katong/Joo Chiat
When exploring a suburban neighbourhood, it can be tempting to leap immediately to ticking off all the big destinations and all the ‘must-dos’ and ‘must-sees’. However, in this quiet quarter nestled in the Eastern folds of Singapore, it would be a grave oversight if I did not highly recommend casting that itinerary to the side and simply roaming its streets in search of nothing at all. For if Singapore were a huge mosaic, then Katong and Joo Chiat is probably the most colourful; and if we were to go about chasing only standard landmarks in this particular tourist circuit, we might just end up missing the most evocative part of it all: its heart.
While my standard typical advice to these kind of things (i.e. wall murals in a neighbourhood) is to simply just ‘follow your noses’ (or whichever sense is so triggered), I thought perhaps a more useful approach in this case would be to arrange them in sequence so that the trail carries you as seamlessly as possible from start till the end. Mind, it will take you two hours thereabouts from start to finish – less if you turbotourist your way through, more if you stop to linger – so pace yourself and be prepared to you lose yourself to the stroll.
Feel free to explore the route in detail using this Google Map below. All murals mentioned in this post have been pinned correspondingly.
DREAM OF A THIRD PLACE: 213 EAST COAST ROAD
WHEN: 2024
WHO: local writer & artist Claire Chee
WHAT: This is an extremely fresh coat of paint on the walls and so there isn’t much official information about its history or meaning. However, its simple, rust-red depiction of a kopitiam scene is the very embodiment of a ‘third place’* as far as the Singapore identity and landscape goes, and perfectly encapsulates the enduring continuity of our shared local spaces through the decades.
A ‘third place’ is a concept from Sociology that refers to a social space outside of home (first place) and work (second place) where people can gather, connect, and build community – and in that vein, the kopitiam is the very archetype of a ‘third space’ in Singapore.
HOW (to get to the next one): Simply cross the road and you’re there.
KATONG ANTIQUE HOUSE: 208 EAST COAST ROAD
WHEN: 2021
WHO: Local traditional oil painter, Alvin Mark Tan
WHAT: You will be looking for two sets of murals here: one situated on the façade (children playing and a cat ambling past), and the other at the back alley (vanished trades of a dumpling seller and clog maker). Together, they paint a portrait of Katong’s everyday life in a post-industrial era where small trades and communal spaces anchor the neighbourhood’s character- and in a way, is very emblematic of House is it embedded upon.
HOW (to get to the next one): Walk on down (in the direction of Chin Mee Chin) and keep looking straight; I promise you won’t miss it.
BEACH VIBES: 150 EAST COAST ROAD
WHEN: 2024
WHO: Local visual artist, SONG (Lee Song Xuan)
WHAT: The riot of swirling colours and hypnotic patterns is an unmistakable nod to the artist’s signature psychedelic style. Beyond its visual punch though, the mural gestures toward a significant part of East Coast’s history, for where you stand was once part of the coastline (we are very good at reclaiming land). This hallucinatory imagery is one of the most original and impressive pieces in this entire post, and really should not be missed.
☆ Insider’s Tip: If you’ve been wandering left, right, and centre looking for the mural with the turtle, look no further, you’re here- well, technically. Beach Vibes now covers the old mural; Turtle Cove no longer exists.
HOW (to get to the next one): You’ll probably be able to see the shopping mall i12 Katong once you get back to the main road. Look across and you’ll find a row of shophouses fronted by an eatery called AliBabar (don’t come at me, I didn’t name it).
When you’re there, walk toward your left until you reach the tiny little alley that sits between 105 and 107 East Coast Road.
☆ Insider’s Tip: Feel free to pin i12 Katong as your washroom / water break; in fact, I highly recommend it. There are washrooms on very floor, and a water cooler that gives both cold and hot water at B1.
Medley alley: between 105 & 107 east coast road
WHEN: 2019
WHO: 4 young local artists Nicia Lam, Novena Angela, Valerie Neo, and Yullis Lam
WHAT: Medley Alley takes Peranakan decorative tiles (once symbols of wealth and artistry and now prized in the antique market for their intricate patterns and vivid colors) and reinterprets them in bright, modern colors, which perfectly captures how the neighbourhood blends tradition with contemporary life today.
☆ Insider’s Tip: Stand in the middle of the alley and, with the camera angled slightly from below, the wings on the walls will align perfectly with you, creating the illusion of wings sprouting from your back.
HOW (to get to the next one): Walk back towards Alibabar, then turn left. You will not miss the next one unless you’re blindfolded.
Blueprint of a Shophouse: 462 JOO CHIAt road
WHEN: 2025
WHO: Local architectural design studio OMG Atelier, together with visual creative Jerome Ng and Shivshankar Nair
WHAT: One of the freshest murals in this enclave, this towering masterpiece sits right at the side wall of local coffeehouse Prairie by Craftsmen, and is a massive archive of Katong’s layered past. Look closely, and you’ll be able to spot plenty of lived-in details amidst its bold blues: vanished trades, faded businesses, bursting kopitiam crowds, and even a hidden tribute to the OG Chew Joo Chiat himself. Amidst these are also elements that have stood the test of time: Katong Shopping Centre, the Red House- and of course, our very own unmistakably local Singapura cats.
Connoisseurs of architecture will also recognise the deliberate articulation in this sectional drawing- naturally, given the architecture design-heavy talent behind the vision. Even more uniquely, members of the community also participated in the painting process, making this a living, collaborative public artwork that celebrates architectural heritage and community creativity.
HOW (to get to the next one): You will be told over and again that the next mural can be found at 111 East Coast Road (which is dumpling house Kim Choo Kueh Chang); but you will never find it if you are keeping a lookout for 111 East Coast Road (which is, dumpling house Kim Choo Kueh Chang); because the mural is actually behind the shop.
Once you find yourself here, simply walk down this very same alley that you’re presently at, and you will find yourself where you need to be.
DUMPLING GIRL: THE BACK ALLEY OF 111 east coast road
WHEN: 2019
WHO: local artist & art educator Sufaruddin Abdul Hamid
WHAT: Perched on the back wall of Kim Choo Kueh Chang, this mural is probably one of the most overlooked pieces in the neighbourhood simply because of its openly hidden location. However, those who stumble upon it are rewarded with a simple, playful scene of a young girl clutching onto a bundle of dumplings that float her into the air like helium balloons; which cannot be more apt, given that it hovers right on the back of the iconic nyonya dumpling makers, whose hands have shaped and steamed generations of heritage and flavour since 1945.
HOW (to get to the next one): Come out of the alley to the main road again. Then turn left and walk straight for about ten seconds, keeping your eye for a tiny pocket of parking lots on the other side of the road. (Papi Tacos will be a good marker on your own side of the road.)
Anatomical Reverberation – Recollections of You From a Distance: 471 JOO CHIAT road
WHEN: 2023
WHO: Local visual artist Soph O
WHAT: With a title that’s this much of a mouthful, you can expect its meaning to go way deep.
Anchored in emotional resonance rather than literal narrative, this beautiful aerosol painted piece celebrates the ambiguity of remembering, the distance between people and moments, and the subtle beauty found in reflection, imagination, and the spaces in between. It explores memory as something that lives in the body and resonates over time, with layered abstract forms that evoke the way recollections overlap, distort, and echo in imperfect, fleeting ways.
Why this artwork is particularly powerful is because, as a public mural, it is accessible and doesn’t feel like ‘high art’, even as it is meant to be. It is visually abstract in a way that does not force a single narrative; and yet, it can still be emotionally rich for those who want to connect with it on a more personal level.
HOW (to get to the next one): Continue walking down this same side of the road; there is no need to cross back to where you were. Stop when you see the resturant Aston’s; the next one’s located at the side of its wall.
JALAN JALAN: 359 JOO CHIAt road
WHEN: 2021
WHO: Columbian artist Didier Jaba Mathieu
WHAT: This piece is a vivid ode to the untroubled wanderings of stray cats, a tableau that Mathieu encountered when roaming the streets of Joo Chiat Road and which left an indelible mark in his memory, as evident by this mural.
While trained on multidisciplinary levels, Mathieu’s background in grafitti shines in this masterpiece, with bold, daring colour combinations- drawn from the nature of Peranakan ceramics and unleashed with the free-flowing energy of graffiti- allowing the mural to harmonise with the heritage of the neighbourhood while retaining a distinctly raw, spontaneous energy of graffiti art.
HOW (to get to the next one): If you’re staring at this wall mural now, turn around.
A History of Healing: 341 JOO CHIAt road
WHEN: 2019
WHO: Local creative studio, Tell Your Children
WHAT: Now a Scanteak store, this delicate mural pays homage to the past life of 341 Joo Chiat Road, which once housed the Joo Chiat Maternal and Child Health Clinic, founded in 1907 to combat one of early Singapore’s most urgent health crises: high infant mortality.
With that in mind, the gentle imagery of a mother cradling her child becomes almost too piercing to bear. The softness of the drawing only deepens its grief, with a quiet weight that gives this mural a remarkable emotional gravity.
Personally, I was caught off-guard by how much heavier than expected this felt. There was really something surreal about being on a vibrant heritage-heavy art trail on a scorching Tuesday afternoon, only to stumble upon something this silently devastating. Understandably it is not the most technically complex or impressive piece on the walk; but, it was by miles, the most profound one for me.
HOW (to get to the next one): You should be able to spot the next one from where you are. Just walk a little further ahead.
GHOSTS OF rumah katong: 333 JOO CHIAt road
WHEN: 2021
WHO: local creative studio The Ink and Clog Studio®
WHAT: Just to bring some context to the fore, this somewhat ghostly, half-remembered wall mural is inspired by the iQIYI* TV series The Ferryman: Legends of Nanyang, which follows a man with an yin yang eye (read: the ability to see spirits) guide restless souls across the boundary between the living and the dead, all against the backdrop of Southeast Asian folklore and its hidden histories.
The third episode, in particular, finds viewers in the heart of the Katong-Joo Chiat district, right at this very location, where a certain collection of personal belongings and trinkets- belonging to a once-living being- sets the tone for the entire adventure about to ensue.
*for the uninitiated, think of iQIYI as the Netflix of the Chinese-language streaming world.
For those who smell a marketing rat, let me confirm your inkling and the answer is, yes, this mural- and the entire TV series, for that matter- is part of a larger collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board, designed to highlight the city’s rich cultural tapestry through a creative, supernatural lens. Alongside this installation, two other locations in Singapore are also featured, namely Chinatown and Little India, and each brings to life different ghostly (and cultural) encounters.
For those keen to immerse themselves fully, you will be delighted to know that there are special tours that follow the trail of these episodes – no spooky stuff involved though; just a pure, unadulterated dive into neighbourhood’s Peranakan culture, heritage architecture, and buried stories.
HOW (to get to the next one): Walk toward the end of this row of shophouses (it should take you no longer than twenty seconds unless you dawdle); and you will be right there.
The Phoenix: 321 JOO CHIAt road
WHEN: 2022
WHO: Local grafitti artist Boon Baked
WHAT: At first glance, this mural dazzles with colour (I am personally obsessed with that teal); but the deeper meaning of this mural lies in the balance of flame and flourish. The phoenix motif is deeply rooted in Peranakan decorative tradition (you will often find them on Peranakan ware and textiles) as it is considered an auspicious symbol of rebirth. In Boon’s interpretation, the phoenix rises amid bold blooms and flowing forms, a nod to the changing world in the wake of the pandemic and the “continuation of life in the flames of change”.
HOW (to get to the next one): Now turn around again.
Tom & Jerry: 340 JOO CHIAt road
WHEN: 2024
WHO: Local graphic designer and artist papa.dem
WHAT: I was literally today-years-old when I discovered that there exists an entire set of Tom & Jerry episodes set in Singapore (??????); which makes this mural make sense because when I first stumbled across this piece, my honest, unadulterated reaction was, why on Earth is this here?
But of course it is here. And papa.dem brilliantly ties all the key nostalgic gems featured in the Tom & Jerry Singapore episodes into this colourful art piece, all weaving the familiar cat-and-mouse chaos with the Peranakan-inspired motifs emblematic of the neighbourhood. The result is both whimsical and thoughtful: playful on the surface, yet deeply rooted in place, culture, and context.
HOW (to get to the next one): It’s going to be a while before you run into another wall art again, but just keep walking all the way down until you reach 95 Joo Chiat Road.
Kway Guan Huat Popiah: 95 JOO CHIAt road
WHEN: 2019
WHO: Local visual artist Jaxton Su
WHAT: On one side of this stall, you will see an elder and a child meticulously preparing popiah skins; on the other, you will find a popiah street hawker preparing an order for his young customers- a scene evocative of the country’s yesteryears.
By installing three murals* instead of one, Jaxton Su gives the shop a visual symphony that presents different facets of the popiah‑making heritage, from craft and trade to family and community. Lest it goes unnoticed, these works tie in to the actual shop itself and aligns perfectly with its legacy. Founded in 1938, Kway Guan Huat Popiah is one of the oldest popiah makers in Singapore, and remains a heritage icon of Joo Chiat’s food scene. The family-0wned business still makes the popiah skin by hand; a timely process that definitely pays off, for it is widely regarded today as the best popiah in the country, backed by public praise for its authentic home‑made skins, generous fillings, and enduring heritage.
* There is actually one more mural unfortunately positioned in a way that will always be partially hidden as long as the door of the neighbouring business is open.
Scenes from a MALAY WEDDING: 44 Changi Rd
WHEN: 2025
WHO: unknown
WHAT: If you have religiously wandered your way through from the very first mural, you would probably have burned about two hours (and plenty of calories) by now. If your legs still have some fight left in them, might I implore you to amble just a teeeeeeny little bit further into the Geylang Serai district (technically speaking, you’re already here) to track down this spanking new, jawdropping, larger-than-life mural that owns the entire enclave from its tiny little stretch and demands to take your breath away.
So new it is, in fact, that there isn’t much information to be gleaned from this art piece quite yet; nevertheless, you will still be visually rewarded in equal measure from its unapologetic burst of colours, featuring a seamlessly stitched panorama that depicts various scenes of a traditional kampong Malay wedding.
Incidentally, this masterpiece is sprawled across the side of a Nasi Kandar house, so please just take this as a sign from the universe that this is where you should really be wrapping up your mural trail.
And now go ahead and treat yourself to a huge plate of Nasi Kandar schlopped by a fountain of rendangs and curries and perhaps a humble mug of iced cold teh tarik on the side.
Comments
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Agnes
This is such a thoughtful and beautifully curated guide. I love how you frame Katong and Joo Chiat as a place to slow down and wander, not just tick off murals. The context you add about the artists, the kopitiam as a “third place,” and even practical tips like using i12 Katong for a break really show deep local knowledge. It makes the street art feel alive and rooted in the neighborhood, not just something to photograph and move on from. Your photos are incredible, and they really bring the murals to life—I’d love to see all of these pieces with my own eyes one day.
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Sonia
The street art is incredible! Thank you for the step by step guide on how to get from one location to another, so easy to follow as we wander the streets of Singapore.
Felicia
I just love exploring murals and some of these look absolutely stunning. What a great guide.