'Sticker Lady' and accomplice plead guilty
“Sticker
Lady” Samantha Lo Xin Min pleaded guilty on Tuesday to seven counts of
mischief, while her alleged accomplice Anthony Chong Tze Chen also
pleaded guilty to two counts of abetting Lo and one of mischief.
The
eight other charges of mischief against Lo and the five other charges
against Chong are being taken into consideration, their lawyers said.
Senior
counsel Philip Jeyaretnam proposed for a community service order to be
imposed on his client Lo, 26, who is a “first time offender”, Derek
Kang, also one of Lo’s lawyers, told Yahoo! Singapore.
Jeyeratnam
said that Lo is “remorseful” and had “no ill intent” behind her
actions, and pointed out that “full restitution has been made”, said
Kang.
Lawyer Kenneth Pereira, who is representing
30-year-old Chong, confirmed that he had also applied to court for a
community service order to be imposed on his client. Pereira said that
Chong has “no risk of re-offending” and “has a talent for art” which he
used in positive ways such as holding art workshops.
The court will assess suitable community service orders for the both of them.
The next court hearing is scheduled on 8 May this year.
Lo
and Chong are allegedly behind the "My Grandfather Road" series of
street signs and stickers that were found painted on sections of
Robinson and Maxwell roads in May last year.
Circular
stickers printed with various captions were also found on a pavement
near Lau Pa Sat. Captions included taglines such as “Press once can
already” and “Anyhow paste kena fine”. It's understood that these
stickers were also found on other road traffic signs across Singapore.
Sticker lady, urban artists the next wave of Singapore masters?
Local artists colouring beyond the lines — both literally and figuratively -- has raised much controversy of late.
Remember Samantha Lo, otherwise known by her moniker SKL0 or — more infamously — as the 'Sticker Lady'?
Her
transgression: vandalism, all in the name of art. Lo, 25, was the
brainchild behind a spate of quirky and humorous slogans, using the
mediums of spray-painting and stickers, placed in the public sphere
earlier in the year.
While detractors question her
efforts to make her voice heard and her art appreciated in a manner that
seemingly disregards the law, supporters have also been vocal in
decrying the hoopla surrounding the case. Let artists foster their
creativity without constraints, they say — particularly when the 'crime'
itself seems minimal to most.
While the gauntlet has
yet to fall, SKL0 and other urban artists had the chance to showcase
their works recently, as part of a showcase, 'Singapore's Finest'.
The
exhibition was held at gallery 28th Février, owned by Dominic Khoo, a
strong supporter of the urban arts. A photographer himself, he says he
brought a band of local street artists together in an effort to "send
the elevator back down", in order that no man is left behind in the
march towards artistic progress on the local front.
Khoo
says the urban arts is the next wave, and should be allowed the
opportunity to develop organically, as well as given the attention it
deserves. He believes there should be a focus on collecting and
archiving the works of what he terms as "tomorrow's masters". This,
especially on the back of the criticism street artists face from some
quarters, in their quest to express themselves.
"I
think as an artist you always look for what is real, what is true to
yourself. And graffiti artists are very much like that. In fact, they
have got a quality that almost no other artist has: they spend their
time training in secrecy or learning their techniques very quietly. They
have exhibitions way before any other artists do, but all their
exhibitions are free. They experience ridicule and persecution as well.
For many years, most people have just seen their art as vandalism."
'Singapore's
Finest' included a stable of artists aside from SKL0, such as Trase,
Antz, Zero, Jaba and Slacsatu. Khoo's focus is not to highlight the more
controversial aspects; rather, he wants to rally support for what has
been an underground movement for the most part. To him, the impermanence
of graffiti art — by its very nature transient — must be addressed, so
that local talent are afforded the critical opportunity to have their
works recorded for posterity.
"How do you define
something that is slightly rebellious, but yet is in the confines of
fine art? You talk about shades of grey when you talk about Rembrandt.
Today, we are talking about guys who come with spray cans and think
about distance from the wall, amount of drip, stencils, designing... all
this with their hearts pounding, spraying and running off, you know?
It's a very different thing altogether. I think the very least I could
do is to provide a space for these artists, for them to display their
art on canvas. So that they can say hey, I can be proud of my work."
The
dichotomy that exists seems to be tied to bringing a sense of balance
to art forms that are viewed as being on the fringes of the art world,
and do not have the support or acceptance that more traditional forms
garner. But for the arts scene to flourish truly, then perhaps the
dampers need to come off so that obstacles aren't quite so
insurmountable for those who express themselves through street art.
To
Khoo, putting things in perspective is important when it comes to the
issue of self-expression without borders. Seeing this as an opportunity
to course-correct, the gallery owner says rather than focusing on the
supposed transgressions of SKL0 and others in the same boat, it is more
important to look at the intention behind such works.
"I
think they understand that yes, they could get into trouble. That is
something they know and accept, but it doesn't make them bad people,
right? And intent is very important. Sometimes, proving intent could be
one of the toughest things ever. But to understand them as characters,
you need to really understand what they do and how you speak for them."
He
stresses though, these are not closet recalcitrants — they are artists
expressing themselves through mediums that resonate best with them.
"You
know, there is actually a lot of integrity with those who are true
artists — you can see what they do and what they stand for. I think if
you have a particular artist who always speaks about love, you're not
going to get some teddy bear killer. I'll be shocked if I find out that
he had a stash of dismembered teddy bears in his closet!"
Understanding
and embracing street art and the artists behind the movement would
likely go a long way towards fostering a truly evolved artistic local
landscape. Only then can creativity and freedom of expression have true
opportunity to intersect with talent, when barriers to entry and success
are diminished or eradicated entirely.
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