Text by Kien M. Lee | Photos by William Lai
You may have seen his famous "children on a bicycle" street art in Penang but did you know Ernest Zachaveric has a brand new secret project here in Singapore to add to several pre-existing ones? We took the Audi A1 Sportback on a road trip to see them in-person!
Audi has launched the new Audi A1 Sportback for 2015, an update of its entry level model and the first ever three-cylinder petrol engine to be offered in any Audi.
The face-lifted A1 Sportback with its new singleframe grill packs a turbocharged 95bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, looks more angular and sportier, and offers myriad customisation options ranging from a standard single or optional two-tone paint scheme with contrasting roof arches, roof spoiler, roof and exterior mirrors and on the inside, interior vents.
All that being said, we had to take the car for a test drive, and boy did we end up on an adventure.
Right as we turned out of the Audi Centre Singapore onto Leng Kee Road, we immediately found the chance to experience the superior handling of the A1 Sportback on the gentle winding road, the control on the five-door was superior just like what we have come to expect from its bigger siblings, and felt sporty despite giving up some in 'weight class'.
The leather-wrapped electro-mechanic steering wheel was a delight as we traversed the gentle slalom of Lengkok Bahru Road, where our attention was caught by two large exterior wall panels of murals.
Curious, we made a pit stop.
Pencil-sketched animals filled the canvasses, on one they were joined by a life-like elephant, giraffe and zebra, and on the other, a child holding onto balloons lifted into the air. More photos inside.
It was the latter that brought to mind the street art of Ernest Zacharevic, more commonly known for his interactive art pieces in Georgetown, Penang where he now calls home.
"Zachas" as he is affectionally called, is Asia's equivalent to British graffiti artist Banksy, and his murals in Penang and now all over the world often depict children playing, complemented by props ranging from bicycles, motorcycles, to swings, have made many a social media share-able moment.
But back to the amazing wall murals before us.
From some sleuthing online, we found out that the artwork was indeed done by the Lithuanian artist, in collaboration with students from the Pathlight School — the country's first autism-focused school that offers Singapore's mainstream academic curriculum together with life-readiness skills. Seen in the campus of SG Enable, a government initiative that seeks to provide care and skill training to children and adults with disabilities, we understand the site still under construction is only slated to officially open in early 2016.
So we thought: Why not take this opportunity to document the rest of Zacharevic’s art in Singapore? It seemed like not many Singaporeans who revelled in the artist’s work abroad realise his wall murals can be found here too.
After doing some research on-the-go, we hooked up our music via bluetooth to the A1 Sportback's Audi MMI® (Multi Media Interface) and infotainment system, and off we zipped to our next destination
No sooner were we lip-syncing to Taylor Swift's Blank Space did we arrive at Victoria Street, located in the old Kampong Glam neighbourhood that has the popular indie-fashion retailers and Arab traders of Haji Lane nearby.
It was just as well that we drove the A1 Sportback, as we breezed through the narrow single lanes between the main roads. The proximity sensors that came standard also helped when we parallel parked. Honestly, we were more anxious about the other cars ding-ing our ride!
The first Zacharevic street art we found was off the intersection of Jalan Klapa, the "Peeping Tom", almost nondescript on a grassy patch, staring out at passers-by.
A few steps down the way were the "2 Children in Trolleys", with shopping carts cut in half and attached to the wall to give the installation a life-like feeling.
Three children then fill up the canvas around the building; two with their bodies sticking out of exclamation marks, and a third trying to scale to the top. This set felt like a more of a commissioned work and less in-sync with Zacharevic's usual product.
Next up was the "Girl and the Cub," the largest mural of all, spanning the entire side of the shophouse. If only the commuters waiting at the bus stop looked up from their smartphones, they'd notice the girl looking straight back at them as she stroked a lion cub.
Next, we put the pedal to the metal, and down the ECP we revved our little road devil.
Acceleration was smooth, and again, a great ride for an urban setting like Singapore.
Slowing down at times to enjoy the heritage terraces of Tanjong Katong that have seen somewhat of a yuppie revival, we soon arrived at the intersection of Joo Chiat Terrace and Everitt Road, to witness a pair of "Jousting Painters" frozen in time.
This was our favourite of Ernest Zacharevic's work in Singapore, a fitting finale to our little road trip.
As he said it himself, his work was open to interpretation and what we loved about the painters and the first set of murals at Lengkok Bahru was the feeling of ‘work in progress’, that we were supposed to help complete the story, finish the painting.
Brilliant.
In many ways, the A1 Sportback with the numerous customisation options available, is a masterpiece too awaiting finishing touches.
Art and Audi. A perfect combo (not just for the day).
And last of all, a hat tip to the A1 Sportback’s fuel efficiency of 4.4 litres per 100km — after driving around for half day, we still had 3/4 of our tank left!
It is little wonder the model is one of Audi's best-selling, perfect for navigating the urban metropolis.
