We’re just coming out and saying it — sometimes, we really don’t get art. And a lot of the times that we do, we don’t really know what to do with the info. Write about it? Dwell in it as a form of meditation?
Well, our friends across the Causeway are nailing it. The government and citizens of Johor Bahru (JB), which until recently was unwittingly playing host to Lithuanian street artist Earnest Zacharevic, is in a brutally stimulating debate over a piece of work (see photo) dubbed ‘JB, home of Malaysia’s very own Legoland’.
JB has become the talk of the town (several towns, actually) due to a number of high profile crimes including several shooting incidents and Zacharevic’s work is clearly a reflection or even critique of the state of things there.
The government — who apparently stopped supplying the United Nations with their crime statistics last month — wants to take it down, of course, along with two other murals by Zacharevic.
Before anything like that can happen though, Malaysians have taken the matter in their own hands — a sign that a conversation between the government and the citizens about the troubling situation may soon unfold.
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”27629″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”450″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”600″}}]]
A Facebook user takes a photo of the artwork at night, giving it a more distinct sense of realness
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”27635″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”917″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”600″}}]]
Another Facebook user points out warning signs in the town are more damaging than Zacharevic’s work
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”27652″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”600″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”600″}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”27653″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”450″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”600″}}]]
Citizens have fun with the artwork’s characters
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”27659″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”442″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”600″}}]]
Alternate reality: A fan Photoshops a version special for the Christmas season
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”27664″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”397″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”600″}}]]
The work even has an actual Lego version!
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”27666″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”348″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”600″}}]]
Local street artists’salvage’ the mural by adding a policeman in the picture
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”27673″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”400″,”style”:”line-height: 1.538em;”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”600″}}]]
The original artist says, ‘fine!’ and uploads a politically-correct version complete with Malaysia’s tourism tagline
UPDATE: The mural was given the whitewash treatment on Nov. 13.
Source: Earnest Zacharevic’s Facebook page
Check out Earnest Zacharevic’s Singapore works in our gallery!
