To be honest, I spent a little too much time in trying to make the lyrics to the Shaggy song Sexy Lady fit into this context before giving up – “Hey sticker lady…I like your flow?”
But as a serious writer for serious folks, that would be most unforgivable.
Samantha Lo AKA sklO, known to most as the Sticker Lady has been charged in court earlier in the day with numerous counts of “mischief”. You might remember her from her awesome shennenigans from a year ago, where stickers with tongue-in-cheek messages that poked fun at this nanny state were stuck all over the island. Other works included spray-painting “My Grandfather’s Road” on various sidewalks, and this gem. Like many street artists, she straddles the fine line between vandalism and art – always having to play the role of the agent provocatuer and yet risk the question “But is it art?”
Art is resistance, and for better or worse, the very act of cops and robbers that these street artists play with the authorities is part of the creative process. It is in such cases that we see the art grow organically – free of pesticides and pre-assigned spaces that produce trite GM art.
Her initial arrest generated much controversy and uproar, where many supported her expressions of creativity, leading to charges of “mischief” instead of the expected “vandalism” (which carries a far heavier sentence). After being charged in court, the buzz around her has once again reached a peak – attempts to access the sklO website failed as it exceeded its bandwidth.
Public attention ebbs and flows, are we looking at Singapore’s Banksy (and maybe even a spot in a Saatchi gallery), or will she fade back into the local arts scene?
Her charges are to be fully determined later this week and the sentence yet to be carried out. Will she be made an example or a martyr? Will we ever stop bringing up the Michael Fay saga as a reference point for all vandalism cases?
N.B. The author of this post does not condone breaking the law to get your point across – actions have consequences, how willing are you to pay them?
