Text: Shah Salimat
Photo: CNA
Singaporeans have taken to social media to express their sentiments towards the arrest of a 25-year-old woman who is believed to have painted "MY GRANDFATHER ROAD" on several roads in Singapore. The woman, who goes by the moniker of SKL0, is also believed to be behind the various circular stickers pasted around town recently, with captions such as "Press once can already" and "Anyhow paste kena fine".
Between May 17 and 21, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) found the painted words along Robinson Road and Maxwell Road and reported the matter to the police. Officers arrested the suspect at her home in eastern Singapore this Sunday. Items such as paint-stained stencils and caption-printed stickers were seized for investigation.
Hashtags such as #freestickerlady and #freeskl0 trended on Singapore's Twitter trending topics list within minutes of news surfacing of her arrest. Some have denounced the arrest, such as digital strategist Ms Pat Law who tweeted "You sentence #freestickerlady to anything, you sentence our culture to death". Activist Ms Kirsten Han noted that the font used on the circular stickers is Bebas, which means "free" in Malay. Twitter user @hachooneecham said: "It's vandal in your eyes because you don't know how to appreciate art."
In a statement to the media which was also posted on her Facebook page, Nominated Member of Parliament Ms Janice Koh said that street artists "take risks" to spread their message on public property and highlighted international street artist Banksy who has never been caught and continues to hide his true identity. She believes this is a good opportunity to distinguish between "this kind of art and outright vandalism that seeks to deliberately destroy public property for its own sake".
A petition for Sticker Lady's charge to be amended from vandalism to public nuisance has garnered some 6,300 signatures as at press time. In reference to the petition, Ms Koh said: "I think... (the petition's call) is a reasonable middle ground that recognises what is deemed as the anti-social behaviour of mistreating public property, but without the heavy-handedness of imposing a possible jail term. It is almost impossible to talk about developing a culturally vibrant, creative or loveable city, without some tolerance for those slightly messy activities that sometimes challenge the rules."
However, some citizens agree with the arrest. Student Mr Andrew Ho opined: "No matter how expressive or creative we can or want to be... we still have to respect the ethics of marketing and publicity." In a Facebook reply to a friend about the arrest's implications on the nature of art, Keith Chang says: "It's important to use (art) responsibly in a way which benefits everyone, not just to make a point so big it 'enlightens' a group of people but pisses another group off. Not just to say what you have to say, for yourself."
A person who is convicted of vandalism shall be punished with a fine of up to S$2,000, or jailed up to three years and caning.
Related link:
"My Grandfather Road" markings identified as vandal, woman arrested
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