Used as a means of addressing societal issues, graffiti, street art and urban art are bound by the affinity of living, often illegitimately, on and in public spaces; their individual etymology is shrouded in obscurity. Whereas traditional graffiti artists have primarily used free-hand aerosol paints to produce their works, "street art" encompasses many other media and techniques. Urban art combines street art and graffiti and is a term often used to summarise all visual art forms in urban areas. Graffiti made its first appearance on Singapore's streets in the mid 90s with street art entering the scene in the early noughties.

With the strict specificity on medium, Woven Walls prompts the exploration of the nebulousness of urban art and all its various sub-sets. Will such visual expressions gain recognition as an acceptable art form when presented on a surface one traditionally associates with fine art?

Will appropriating art that is usually in the public realm into a private space, especially within a legal system which regards such visual expressions as vandalism, legitimise the art form? Will co-opting such artists into a gallery space subvert the subverted or does it need to exist in the fringes of society to maintain its street credibility? Pun intended.

To put matters into perspective, there are public spaces in Singapore designated for graffiti and other forms of urban art. There have also been prior gallery exhibitions, notably a group show featuring French and Singapore street artists. But despite that, the art form has not completely lost its notoriety, more associated with the urban decay in 70s New York than the gleaming metropolis of Singapore.