“Once upon a time, the legendary fish with red heads and dark bodies thrived in the clear waters of the Singapore River. Many years later, migration boats arrived. Many immigrants settled on the river banks. Villages, quays and bridges were built. Soon, the River was crowded and polluted. The fish was soon rarely seen and people forgot about them.
An old man who missed the fish. He was also inspired by the firewood he carried on his boat. So he decided to paint his boat with a bright red head and fiery eyes to look like the fish. It was beautiful! Many boatmen followed suit. Soon, the whole quay was filled with red headed and fiery eyed boats! But alas, the dirty River was slated for a big clean up. All the residents were relocated, shophouses vacated and the boats retired. Memories of the boats faded once again.
The River became clean again, and every now and then, there were claims of the fish’s sightings by anglers, swimmers and tourists. The accounts inspired more people to come to Clarke Quay to try their luck in spotting the Fish. In 2023, two Singaporean artists painted their reimaginations on the warehouses along the quay, re-igniting the Legend of the Clarke Quat Fire Fish.
This mural with a modern myth is jointly created by tobyato X Yip Yew Chong.The 90m long mural adorns the facade of the Clarke Quay Warehouses Block B at Tan Tye Place.
