Haji Lane Graffiti & Strict Singapore

Never thought I’d see graffiti in Singapore. Quite refreshing I must say, when it becomes part of street art.

Perhaps poor Oliver Fricker should have tried this artsy area instead of our MRT trains that ended up embarrassing authorities with the security breach. If you don’t know who Oliver Fricker is, he’s the Swiss national who was jailed and flogged for graffiti or what Singapore terms vandalism. And that’s strict and scary side of Singapore for you.

And if you ever wondered why our streets are so clean, it’s more due to fear than us being socially conscious neat freaks. If you litter, you could end up being shamed by having to collect litter in public. For Asians, losing face (being embarrassed) is much worse than a fine. Those who litter have to face the dreaded corrective work order.

graffiti

photo by bookjunkie


graffiti

photo by bookjunkie


photo by bookjunkie


photo by bookjunkie

About bookjunkie

Blogging about life in Singapore & recently cancer too.
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9 Responses to Haji Lane Graffiti & Strict Singapore

  1. Pingback: I Finally Made it to Haji Lane — Singapore Actually

  2. Elle says:

    Wow, this reminds me of my school’s graffiti tunnels. I am kind of sad I didn’t get to see them, but here is the post someone made. Their pictures are kind of blurry but it is better than me just saying “search for ucsd graffiti tunnel” hah: http://experienceucsd.blogspot.com/2006/10/graffiti-tunnels.html

    • bookjunkie says:

      Wow now that’s colourful! Thanks for sharing Elle 🙂

      • Ellelle says:

        Hello! Would it be possible to edit out my full name from my original comment? It is fine to leave the first name =)

        Even though I am less active with comments and etc I am still lurking on your site. Keep up the great work! =)

        • bookjunkie says:

          sure thing….so glad you’re visiting 🙂 Let me know if it appears anywhere else and I’ll be glad to edit. I believe in protecting privacy as well 🙂

  3. Dini says:

    OMG!! i wanna learn graffiti but how do i do that??? :/

  4. R64 says:

    I was excited to visit Haji Lane and see the small traces of graffiti and street-art during my short stay in Singapore. I was more excited to see sings of civil disobedience and artistic expressions there than for instance Berlin, Amsterdam or New York, where it’s a lot more safe to do so. There’s A LOT less graffiti and stickers in Singapore, but when you come across something, it’s extra special because it’s so rare.

    I left some of my stickers there as well (maybe you’ve seen them, I left some on Haji Lane as well). Most of the other stickers I saw were of non-locals (like, ofcourse, BNE). I wonder what would happen if a Singapore local had an outburst and went all-city with stickers or graffiti in a wild weekend! I bet the authorities would go crazy! 😉

    Great post. Love the rest of the blog as well. Singapore holds a special place in my heart and I love to re-visit it through your posts and photos!

    • bookjunkie says:

      So glad to hear that Singapore has a special place in your heart 🙂

    • IhadTonsillitis says:

      @ R64

      You were too late to come to Singapore. We had locals whom went crazy with sticker bombings and graffiti writings. Just that they couldnt be bothered that much to do it again coz it kept getting ripped off by the authorities. It’s a waste of extra cash to get your materials if it keeps getting wipe off. That’s Singapore for you. Boring huh?…

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