Are artists all a little kooky, somewhat eccentric and kind of strange?

Van Gogh suffered from depression and eventually shot himself. Picasso married twice and had many mistresses. Salvador Dalí was an eccentric who said "Dalí is immortal and will not die."

Well, maybe they are or maybe they aren’t. Either way, you wouldn't mind so much, had you been there at the MAAD sale last weekend!

MAAD (The Market of Artists & Designers) is held every first weekend of the month at the Red Dot Design Museum. "Where in the world is that?" you may ask, just as I did, with question marks bouncing off my head. Youth.SG paid a visit to 28 Maxwell Road on the June 2, the first of two days.

Though I had never been to the Red Dot Design Museum, I recognised it immediately from the jarring red wall of the colonial-style building. As I stepped into the small room of the museum, I was greeted by booths bathed in warm light.

"That's all?" I wondered to myself, raising a sceptical eyebrow, "Have I wasted my time travelling here?"

I wondered around, noting hand-made jewellery, craft, accessories and photo frames. However, the first to make an impression and purge a little negativity were custom-made journals by C². You could choose the materials, design and have it done within half an hour, with name embossing thrown in for free!

At the corner of my eye, I caught a sign which indicated more stalls ahead. “Oh yay! More stuff,” I thought to myself.

The atmosphere was conjured by dim, warm lights, booming music, bright colours and an eye-catching décor made of raffia, hanging overhead. Intrigued, I moved closer to read the messages hung on them. Most were messages from people, leaving a mark of their MAAD experience.
"It takes one to know one," they say. It's no wonder some amazingly cute oddballs were sighted. Of course, there were also other unique paintings, jewellery and craft.