Street artists Slac Satu and CLOGTWO!, commissioned by OCBC to create murals on a hoarding outside OCBC Centre within six months, talk about their work, inspirations and hopes for graffiti art.

How do you reconcile with “street”/freedom of expression credentials with working on a project for OCBC?
Slac Satu: Of course, working with a client is a little different from painting a personal artwork, but OCBC pretty much gave us that freedom on the hoardings.
CLOGTWO!: It was a pleasure to be working with OCBC. They are open to our sense of humor and jokes, so we can express these into visuals.

What inspires your work?
SS: I always keep an open mind to anything and everything around me and I can say most artists that I came across inspire me. They change the way I look at and appreciate art, whatever the medium.
C: My works are constantly based on social interactions and my day-to-day life experiences, be it bitter or sweet.

Share a memorable incident that happened while you’re creating art on the streets.
SS:
We were halfway through a mural in Bandung when I was told it's illegal if there was no permission granted. Soon after, the owner of the building came out, saw what we were doing and gave us the thumbs up. I don't think you'll get that in Singapore.
C: We had a few glitches when creating the mural for OCBC, like figuring out the proportions and height of the elements to be put up. So three of us (Skl0 and Slac Satu) tried many ways to recompose the position of the mural, and we manage to solve our problems!

Why street art?
SS:
Not everyone has the time to visit art galleries, so doing it on the street really helps to educate society and make people more aware of their surroundings.
C: With street art we're able to play with different mediums in the urban landscape as a canvas. This helps us become more conceptual, creative and interactive in our works.

What are your hopes for the local arts and culture scene?
SS:
I hope to see more legal graffiti walls in Singapore, as well as more street art exhibitions and more opportunities to travel for art exchange programmes.
C: The local arts and culture scene is building up slowly but surely. Singapore needs to have a better foundation and appreciation for arts in order for it to grow.

Check out the murals by Slac Satu, CLOGTWO! and Skl0 (aka Sticker Lady) at the hoarding outside OCBC Centre.

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