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Samantha Lo (SKL0)

Samantha Lo is a Singaporean artist who goes by the moniker SKL0. She is more commonly known by the Singapore public as the ‘Sticker Lady’ for her graffiti of 'My Grandfather Road' and stickers that she had placed on public property. When Samantha first started out in the local art industry, she established an online art platform RCGNTN in 2009 to raise awareness and increase interest for the local art scene among Singaporeans. A champion for local artisans and creatives, Samantha Lo is the founder of a management and creative consultancy called Project XIV. Samantha Lo's artworks have been showcased both locally and internationally.

Career highlights

 
Samantha Lo, "My Grandfather Road", 160cm x 90cm, Photographic Print. Photo credit to Singapore Art & Gallery Guide (SAGG).

Project XIV (2010 - Present Day)

Project XIV (official website) is a local artist management and creative consultancy. Project XIV aims to bridge the existing gap between artists and clients while promoting the possibility of a career in the arts in Singapore. The name of the company, 'Project XIV', takes reference from Article 14 of the Constitution of Singapore which declares the right to free speech.[1] RCGNTN (official website) was created in 2009 and had since been incorporated into Project XIV. RCGNTN was created as an online space dedicated to local artisans and makers. It includes interviews and profile features of artists based in Singapore. The project aims to foster more purposeful relationships between artists and their audiences.[2]

TEDx UWCSEAEast 2017 “Rediscovering what I love” (2017)

In 2017, Samantha Lo was a speaker for TEDx UWCSEAEast where she shared her journey as an artist in Singapore and what she had learnt in the years she had been active. She voiced the struggles she had faced in 2012 following her mischief charges.[3]

Exhibitions and installations in Singapore

Year Location Event/Organization Art Piece/ Exhibition Title Description
2018 Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore Youthx under Shine festival REPRESENT A special mural that included ASEAN elements to represent the unity between ASEAN countries.
2018 Tampines West, Singapore - Home The artwork was dedicated to the community of Tampines West that had inspired her as an artist.[4]
2018 The Art House, Singapore Singapore Art Week Progress - The Game of Leaders The art piece relays the message of a developing nation, where certain aspects of the country have to be sacrificed and others are kept.[5]
2017 Scotts Road, Singapore Organized by One East Asia during Singapore Art Week 2017 Greetings from Singapore The exhibition was complementary to her book titled ‘Greetings from Singapore’, launched in the same year. Greetings from Singapore was her second solo exhibition. The book is a compilation of tear-out postcards documenting her artistic and life experiences from 2011.[6] The book was published by Math Paper Press and is sold at local bookstore, Books Actually.[7]
2017 Gillman Barracks, Singapore Under the ‘Unknown Chinese Artists’ Collective Coexist 'Coexist' was created in collaboration with Sophia Ong. Their artwork was chosen among over 60 proposed works.[8]
2017 Siloso Beach, Sentosa, Singapore Bright Nights Sentosa On the Impermanence of Discovery The neon lights installation was based off a poem by Cyril Wong titled “Practical Aim”.[9]
2016 Circular Road, Singapore Singapore River Festival My Grandfather Road In November 2016, Samantha Low took part in an arts event called "Circular Spectacular". The event was held in conjunction with the Singapore River Festival 2016. Her contribution to the event took the form a 180 metre long "MY GRANDFATHER ROAD" written in chalk on Circular Road.[10]
2015 The Substation Gallery, Singapore - The Limpeh Show The Limpeh Show was Samantha Lo's first solo exhibition.[11] The exhibition was a homage to Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew.[12]
2013 Singapore Affordable Art Fair Paintings of cultured milk bottles 'Paintings of cultured milk bottles' was a series of 5 paintings that was up for sale at the 2013 Affordable Art Fair. Samantha Lo sold each set of paintings for SGD$8,000.[13]

Exhibitions and installations overseas

Year Location Event/ Organization Art Piece Description
2018 Penang, Malaysia Connexions 2018, George Town Festival AKID ONE X SKL0 Mural Collaboration The piece was a collaboration meant to symbolize the relationship between Singapore and Malaysia.[14]
2017 Bourke Street,

Melbourne, Australia

4Fingers Mural (Unnamed) The art piece was the first mural on Bourke Street that was eight by 10 metres.
2017 Besser Space in Collingwood, Australia In partnership with One East Asia “For Better, For Worse” Solo Exhibition 'For Better, For Worse' was the third solo exhibition that Samantha Lo has held in her career and the first in Australia.
2017 Arjan Garh metro station, Delhi Art Stations project by St+Art Graffiti collaboration piece (Unnamed) The art piece was of a mynah and a kingfisher bird. The graffiti piece, located at the entrance of the Metro station, was a collaboration between Samantha and fellow Singaporean artist Sophia Ong.

2012 Sticker Saga

In May 2012, Samantha Lo had spray-painted the words ‘My Grandfather Road’ on several roads in Singapore. On top of this, she and her accomplice was charged for pasting stickers on traffic light control buttons and spray-painting the words ‘My Grandfather Building’ on Realty Centre. Her arrest had sparked conflicting sentiments among Singaporeans, with a weekly poll by Yahoo News revealing that 46% of respondents felt that her work should be considered as creative art while 15% believed that it should be considered as vandalism.[15] A petition titled "Review sentence of SKL0 ; Arts Censorship in SG" was created in response to this incident, where it had garnered a total of 15,164 supporter upon the closing of the petition.[16] She was subsequently sentenced to 240 hours of community service for her actions.[17]

References / Citations

  1. ↑ BAKCHORMEEBOY. “Singapore Art Week 2018: Progress - The Game of Leaders by Sam Lo”. Backchormeeboy. January 23, 2018. Accessed on 22 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://bakchormeeboy.com/2018/01/23/singapore-art-week-2018-progress-the-game-of-leaders-by-sam-lo/
  2. ↑ “RCGNTN: About”. RCGNTN. Accessed on 22 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://rcgntn.sg/about/
  3. ↑ TEDx Talks. “Rediscovering what I Love| Samantha Lo | TEDxUWCSEAEast”. Youtube. June 23, 2017. Accessed on 22 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbJyq0cY1H0
  4. ↑ Lo, Samantha. “”Home””. Facebook. April 18, 2018. Accessed on 22 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/skl0art/posts/homesprays-and-wall-painta-special-piece-for-tampineswest-reflecting-my-love-for/1877342592329126/
  5. ↑ “Progress: The Game of Leaders by Samantha Lo”. Singapore Art & Gallery Guide. Accessed on 22 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://sagg.info/event/progress-the-game-of-leaders-by-samantha-lo/
  6. ↑ "Samantha Lo (SkL0) on Life and Art". Books Actually. February 7, 2017. Accessed on 26 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.booksactuallyshop.com/blogs/chowing-fat/samantha-lo-skl0-artist-interview
  7. ↑ “Greetings from Singapore”. BooksActually. Accessed on 22 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.booksactuallyshop.com/products/greetings-from-singapore
  8. ↑ “UCA (Unkown Chinese Artists): Mural unveiling and artist talk”. Artnet. Accessed on 22 January 2019. Retrieved from: http://www.artnet.com/galleries/sundaram-tagore-gallery/uca-unknown-chinese-artists-mural-unveiling/
  9. ↑ Paz Marvelous. “Bright Nights at Sentoda :: Pop-Up Night”. RCGNTN. December 31, 2017. Accessed on 22 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://rcgntn.sg/2017/12/bright-nights-at-sentosa-pop-up-night/
  10. ↑ Reena Devi Shanmuga Retnam. "Sticker Lady returns to the streets". Today Online. November 25, 2016. Accessed on 7 March 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/arts/sticker-lady-returns-streets
  11. ↑ Ibid.
  12. ↑ Martin, Mayo. “‘Sticker Lady’ Sam Lo’s first solo show marks the end of a chapter”. TODAYonline. August 10, 2015. Accessed on 22 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/arts/sticker-lady-sam-los-first-solo-show-marks-end-chapter
  13. ↑ Huang Lijie. "Gallerist caution budding artists to price works realistically". The Straits Times. November 22, 2013. Accessed on 26 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/gallerist-caution-budding-artists-to-price-works-realistically
  14. ↑ Lo, Samantha. “MURAL COLLABORATION for #connexions2018 at @georgetownfestival.” Instagram. September 1, 2018. Accessed on 22 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/BnLVHdAg9Nn/
  15. ↑ Chan, Sean Kit Whye. “Sticker Lady’s Traffic Light Sticker Turns Up In Penang, Stirs Controversy Again”. MustShareNews. July 31, 2017. Accessed on 22 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://mustsharenews.com/sticker-lady-penang/
  16. ↑ "Review sentence of SKL0; Arts Censorship in SG". Change.org. Accessed on 26 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.change.org/p/mica-review-sentence-of-skl0-arts-censorship-in-sg
  17. ↑ Chong, Elena. "Sticker Lady and accomplice plead guilty to mischief". The Straits Times. April 2, 2013. Accessed on 26 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/sticker-lady-and-accomplice-plead-guilty-to-mischief
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