Someone apparently stole a piece of an artwork during the District Design Dialogue Holland Village preview

Art by Jau at Blackout Hangout
Art by Jau at Blackout Hangout

Low crime doesn’t mean no crime, as the Singapore Police Force likes to keep reminding the nation. Over the weekend, someone allegedly committed art theft during the opening of District Design Dialogue Holland Village.

Apparently, it was during the media preview of the event on Friday that Singapore-based artist Jau Goh — who wasn’t in attendance — was told that her Midnight Gold Star Project artwork was defaced. It seems like someone nicked a piece from the installation — #91 of 99, to be exact — to bring home a free souvenir.

Art by Jau at Blackout Hangout

Shocked, the artist took to social media to express her disbelief: “#91 and its 98 tiny friends are crying at this brutal separation! I hope you will cherish #91 because it is truly one of a kind.”

“When something like that happens you just have to treat it as a tragic comedy,” she added. “After my initial shock, I found the humor in the situation, trying to picture how the thief did it. He’d have to bend over to reach the last row and furtively slip it into his bag.”

“Buddy I hope you got served some instant bad karma!”

So this happened. I was unable to attend the media preview of #dddsg. A friend who was there sent me this. I could hardly believe my eyes, there was a gap in my Midnight Gold Star Project! #91 of 99 was missing! Dear stranger who lifted this during the media preview – shame on you. Did you really think the installation would look complete and ready for public after what you’ve done? #91 and its 98 tiny friends are crying at this brutal separation! I hope you will cherish #91 because it is truly one of a kind. When something like that happens you just have to treat it as a tragic comedy 🙂 I guess my art is quite irresistible eh? After my initial shock, I found the humour in the situation, trying to picture how the thief did it. He’d have to bend over to reach the last row and furtively slip it into his bag. Buddy I hope you got served some instant bad karma! #jaustar #stolenart #stolen #thief #midnightgoldstar #missing #loss #jaudddsg #irresistible #whereismytriangle #knnbccb

A post shared by Jau Goh (@jaustar) on

Jau eventually filled the empty space with a keychain that aptly articulated her attitude towards the art thief. The item was obtained from Flabslab, a neighboring vendor at the event.

Unfortunately, the missing component never found its way back to its void, so in response, Jau will remove the entire artwork and replace it with a replica installation showcasing 99 imitation pieces of the #91 fragment.

For folks who didn’t get to see the original — well, the one with a void — here’s your last look.

So this weekend (Mar 17-18) at Blackout House, the public is invited to “steal” the 99 imitation pieces from the artwork, which will now cheekily be called “TAKELAH”.

Looks like Jau really took things in her stride.

As for those of you who haven’t checked out the 10 terrace house takeovers on Jalan Kelabu Asap, swing by this weekend for a farmers’ market, new pop-up bars by Sunday Punch and Kimoto, music performances, and SKL0’s Super Budget Low-Fi Street Pack Dispenser, a trust-based “vending machine” that dispenses the artist’s stickers for $12.

SKL0 at The Lounge


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