Wednesday 6 June 2012

Who Scared Who? My Grandfather Road, okay!

I had a trifling burst of mortification and shame as seasoned criminal lawyer Subhas Anandan spoke about vandalism in Singapore over Prime time news on channel 5.
Quite cute, mah!
Sadly Singapore, sigh.

25 year old “Sticker Lady” (bestowed with this title for her outlandish street art pieces that were imprinted on stickers) has been arrested for acts of vandalism and will likely serve her worthless and pointless jail term of 3 years. Oh netizens, I hear your online frenzy, petition and cries but I am assertive that we can’t overrule the laws and rules here in Singapore. 7,000 petitions. I don’t think it’ll really help much, now would it?

With the invasion of artsy hubs, courses and schools here in Sadly Singapore (where has Uniquely Singapore gone to? Miracle!) I am as disordered as its citizens are, zombie-plagued with contradictory actions by other fellow Singaporeans and their laws on vandalism, opposed to street art and graffiti. I mean, I thought Singaporeans are purportedly always positioned as a notch smarter than the rest? You mean we can’t even tell if the “vandalism” by Sticker Lady was deliberate, or was she doing it to purposely vandalize our already foreigner-vandalized state?



My sympathy goes out to the Sticker Lady who was evidently bidding to add a punch of creativity to enliven this sorry Sadly Singapore state where everyone is a law-abiding citizen dwelling in a fabricated concrete jungle with rules and regulations that, when printed, would probably be collected into a thicker-than-the-bible “Singapore Bible”.
Edgar Mueller 3D street art. Bet he would've been imprisoned for life in Singapore for doing this!
It’s a paradox in itself, firstly, proclaiming the need for creative professionals and secondly, lobbing a creative artist into a jail cell for exemplifying her originality. Creativity = Art = Out-of-the-damn-box. So if an artist is fined and jailed for creatively expressing art in tasteful and imaginative ways, what about tutors, plumbers, real estate agents, etc, who stick white pieces of scribbled announcements with a row of “peelable” mobile numbers, on lamp posts, lift landings, bus stop shelters and whatnots? I bet the policemen wouldn’t have issues finding these people with their extensively publicized numbers. Then Sadly Singapore might need to refurbish the Old Changi Hospital into Changi Prison 2 to house all these genuine miscreants and vandals.
I think THIS IS vandalism
I’ve been to Melbourne twice and I must say I greatly appreciate arts of any forms that spot the city. Graffiti, paper cuttings, concrete floor painted murals, etc. Art literally jumps right at you and adds a dash of happiness and euphoria to your day subconsciously. Singaporeans, we often complain we’re stressed at work and whatever, but when someone intends to brighten our day with a “My Grandfather Road” or a “Press To Release” sticker insignia on a damn traffic light post, we get frumpy, grumpy and sulky over it. “Siao gao, still want to jail this artist!”

Would this wall not be a tension-relief for you Singaporeans?
Poor ole Sticker Lady. You know, I really like your stickers.

A photo shot in Melbourne: This graffiti artist sure "DIE" in Singapore! 
It’s such a nation embarrassment and degradation for our counterparts to hear how uptight Singaporeans are in this era! So much for attempting to morph its woodheaded citizens into arty farty Andy Warhol, Vincent Van Gough or the likes of Alexandre Farto. Better off just leave Sad Singaporeans to indulge in self-destruction, self-mutilation and suicide since we’ve got no other avenues of tension relief.

“The artist's world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep” - Paul Strand. Oh really, Singapore?

On a side note, 3 cheers for me as I'd be writing as a Resident Blogger on MFP soon! In case you're lost, stay tuned for more updates!

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