For those who aren't too familiar with Rip Curl, "The Search" is a movement that represents the brand at its core. Going beyond surfing into all aspects of culture such as music, art, sports, travel and experience - that ethos has come symbolize how Rip Curl views life.

As Rip Curl's co-founder Brian Singer elaborates, "That idea of adventure, looking for and surfing good waves, having a few beers and a good time at night and then getting up the next day and doing it all again. That’s how we lived our lives. That was the essence of Rip Curl. We needed to get that into a campaign. All that was needed was the name." The Search became that name.

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Their most recent initiative, called Artist of "The Search" (AOTS), seeks out local artistic representations of The Search, and after finding major success and positive responses in Southeast Asian markets such as Bangkok, Bali and Jakarta - Rip Curl will be finally bringing the campaign to our shores later this month. 

Open to all artistic formats, AOTS is a call for the submission for artworks, inviting artists to share their meaning of The Search. And best of all, the free spirits at Rip Curl have made sure that the criteria for entry is encouragingly broad - "Is it skateboarding, carving in and out of the bowl, perfecting the kick flip? Is it graffiti, finding a sweet spot to throw up a piece? Or maybe it's photography and the relentless pursuit of the perfect image." No restrictions, just present your best interpretation.

The winner will stand a chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to Asia's biggest art festival, Art Basel 2017 in Hong Kong for 3 days and 2 nights, and also the opportunity to work with Rip Curl on a collection! So get hustling, folks. The submission page will go live very soon, but in the meantime, please refer to the event page for competition updates.

To celebrate the debut of AOTS in Singapore, Rip Curl will be throwing a cool launch party at kult kafe on Friday, 17 June. Featuring art, music and fashion - the event will be showcasing a photography exhibition by acclaimed surf magazine BELLY (previously known as Bali Belly), and the unveiling of Rip Curl's latest Autumn '16 collection. 

On the music front, notable Singaporean DJs Nez (Revision Music) and William J (Darker Than Wax) will be helming the decks, alongside live music from synth-pop favourites Disco Hue! The quartet are riding off their incredibly successful album launch for their debut EP Arcade, so this should be a super fun performance from a young band hitting their stride.

Listen to William J's Bandwagon Mix below.