SINGAPORE—Singapore-grown creative collective GOFY is back with a new project championing emerging South East Asian urban artists, called World of Useless Stickers. The project showcases bold and unapologetic sticker art presented in the form of a collectible sticker magazine, free digital sticker packs for Telegram and Whatsapp, and merchandise.
Sticker art has long had its roots in street art culture. What was once regarded as a form of rebellious graffiti, has now evolved into a significant part of mainstream popular culture. From streetwear to advertising to music, stickers can be found everywhere you look, as a form of personalisation and markers of identity and community. Artists around the world continue to utilise the medium to spread their artwork and messages to a wider audience.
Created as a homage to sticker culture, World of Useless Stickers Magazine is the first-ever collectible sticker magazine exclusively featuring South East Asian urban artists. GOFY aims to spotlight emerging artists from the region by documenting and sharing our generation’s creative scene. Each issue of the magazine will introduce fresh artists united by their bold voices and alternative perspectives.
“The title of the project comes from taking a tongue-in-cheek approach to reclaiming the idea that art is useless. While we acknowledge that sticker art doesn’t serve a practical purpose, their usefulness comes from their ability to inspire, to start movements, or to simply act as a form of self-expression,” says Tiffany Soh, GOFY’s Curator.
Exploring pandemic experiences through sticker art
The soft launch edition of the magazine is titled VOLUME ZERO: Life’s Short, Party Hard, and features 8 South East Asian artists from a mix of diverse backgrounds and mediums, such as stick-and-poke tattoo artist Ashley Seow from Singapore and street artist Blic from the Philippines.
Each artist created works exploring their experiences in the time of the pandemic, and what celebration looks like in this new world we live in. The result is a humorous and relatable sticker art collection that connects the artists to the audience through these universal experiences.
Says artist John Henry from Singapore: “GOFY does an excellent job in not only providing support but also creating interesting opportunities like this one to showcase the artistic talents from all across the region. I’m really proud to be able to collaborate with them on another one of their fantastic projects.”
The magazine contains over 100 peelable glossy stickers and is available for purchase at SGD 30 on www.worldofuselessstickers.com. From now until 17 January, customers can receive 10% off their magazine order using the discount code “VOLUMEZERO2022” during checkout on the website.
Supporting emerging South East Asian artists through creative collaborations
To further make South East Asian art more accessible to everyone, digital sticker packs of the artists’ World of Useless Stickers artworks have been made free-to-download for Telegram and Whatsapp on www.worldofuselessstickers.com.
“We are constantly seeking innovative platforms for our community of South East Asian artists to showcase their work, both regionally and globally. Our sticker magazine and digital sticker packs are just the first step towards more exciting collaborations as we work to create more merchandise and products to bring greater visibility to these up-and-coming artists,” says Akanksha Arun, GOFY’s Partnerships Manager.
