"Art not vandalism", says artist behind mysterious golden stairway at Jalan Rajah HDB

The mystery behind the appearance of a flight of golden stairs at a HDB block has been solved.

The lady behind the stairs that left a Reddit user baffled has stepped forward to explain the gold foil that she used to cover the staircase on the 20th floor of a Jalan Rajah HDB block.

Ms Priyageetha Dia wrote in a Facebook post yesterday (Mar 7) that she spent five hours decorating the flight of stairs, after playing with the idea for a month.

She had initially been apprehensive of following through with her idea as she was aware of her social responsibilities as an artist, and the consequences that she might face.

However, she wrote in the post that she was satisfied with the end result, as the "gold finally reverberated against the ever lifeless and grey architecture".

In her post, she added:

“I consider this work as art and not vandalism.

“Though one would say about the legal system and its regulations but I do believe I did not deface anything, what I did was to enhance the space and my surroundings.

“This work provokes. Provokes in all sense we are used to living the standard way of life, and all of a sudden something as glaring as gold negotiates the space.

“My work does not seek to obliterate a public space; vandalism in all sense has no respect for another individual.”

According to her Facebook profile, Ms Priyageetha is a student from Lasalle College of the Arts.

Comments on her Facebook post were full of praise for her work, with many users saying that the gold foil she used significantly brightened up the otherwise glum and drab colours of the stairwell.

The Jalan Besar Town Council’s property officer told The Straits Times that the case was under investigation. It is unknown if the gold foil will be removed from the stairway.