Cloth-Paste Painting: Preserving Stories Through Fabric Art
New Activity
Waterloo Street
- Discover a lesser-known traditional craft rooted in Chinese folk art and early Singapore heritage
- Learn how fabric layering was used to depict stories, symbols, and everyday life
- Experience hands-on creation using traditional cloth-paste techniques adapted for modern learners
- Foster intergenerational knowledge transfer through tactile, story-based artmaking
- Gain appreciation for textile art as a form of cultural expression and preservation
What to expect
Cloth-Paste Painting is a 1.5 hours hands-on workshop introducing participants to a traditional folk art technique rooted in Chinese decorative practices. Historically, layered fabric artworks depicted daily life, folk tales, and auspicious symbols, and were commonly found in homes and community spaces in early Singapore
Participants will explore the cultural significance, materials, and methods of cloth-paste painting before creating their own fabric artworks. Through guided practice, they will experience how stories and traditions were preserved through tactile craft
Brought to you by Trendsen Cultural Enterprise. Use your $100 SG Culture Pass credits for this workshop
Participants apply fabric and paste by hand, learning techniques to compose textured artwork
Completed cloth-paste paintings featuring layered fabrics and textures that tell visual stories
Finished cloth-paste artworks, combining colour, material, and storytelling through fabric art
Contact us
Got a question about this activity? Ask us on live chat!