Sam Lo
Sam Lo is a street artist behind the Sticker Saga and My Grandfather Road Series, whose arrest in 2012 created controversy in Singapore and around the world. Despite her struggles with the law, she has never lost the courage and passion to keep making art.
Q: What made you start the sticker series, and what gave you the courage to do that? You did that knowing that you might get into trouble; why did you still go ahead anyway?
A: Because I felt strongly enough to do it. The whole point of the Sticker Series is called Champion Colloquial because I wanted people to feel like they were at home, romantically saying.
Q: Tell us a little about the thought process your sticker series.
A: Well, street art is the act of taking back spaces, and with that act alone, I wanted to put out a message, which I wanted to reach the public with, and ultimately, it’s to make Singapore feel like home again. Make it feel like the Singapore they know of, you know, despite all the changing buildings, the landscapes and the amount of noise in terms of advertising and everything. I want that little bit to remind them of how it’s like to be a Singaporean.
Q: Why do you see this need to like, collect all these, like, information and then kind of throw it out back there to the public?
A: Because we’re all interconnected with each other and interdependent without knowing it sometimes. I felt like we should all play a part in recognizing this issue. That’s the reason why I turned to the streets, because it was where the audience was.
Q: There are a lot of young and budding artists who are probably watching this and finding you a huge inspiration, so what advice would you have for them?
A: Just do it, man. Just — don’t think about all the things that will hold you back. Just do it because you feel like — you’ll feel at peace if you do it. You know? That’s the strongest way of saying it. Have heart.
Find out more about what Sam has to say here:
