PUBLISHED ONJune 07, 2026 10:50 PMBYCrystal TanMountbatten MP Gho Sze Kee has weighed in on the controversy surrounding a pavement artist who was recently stopped by SMRT staff and reported to the police while creating sidewalk artwork near Mountbatten MRT station.
In a Facebook post on Sunday (June 7), Gho said several people had reached out to her regarding the incident and the removal of the artwork.
"I thought the right thing to do was for me to engage with LTA/SMRT and the police first to get the facts of the engagement before I talk about this," she wrote.
The incident gained attention after 24-year-old Marcus Pang shared on TikTok on June 5 that he was stopped while creating one of his pavement artworks using chalk and a power washer, as someone had complained about him spraying chemicals onto the grass. He later discovered that the pavement was subsequently whitewashed.
Gho said she had seen Pang's works around for some time and personally thought they were "a nice touch to the neighbourhood".
She also clarified that the area outside Mountbatten MRT station where the artwork was created falls under SMRT's management and not the town council, adding the removal was by SMRT staff.
Gho said she has already asked the chairman of Mountbatten's arts interest group to reach out to Pang on Friday afternoon.
She added the incident raises questions about balancing artistic expression and the rules that hold shared spaces together.
"So how much room do we make for spontaneous beauty? How should we weigh between those who are delighted against those who are not?" she wrote.
She added: "For the budding artists out there, if you too, have an idea for art in our neighbourhood, please do feel free to reach out to me."
@asiaone Power washing artist Marcus, who regularly posts on his "art adventures" across Singapore, recently ran into some hiccups in Mountbatten over the Vesak Day long weekend. After he posted about the incident, collaboration offers have emerged. It seems when one door closes, others open. #sgnews #Singapore #Art #Artist #Public ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
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