KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 — Street artist Ernest Zacharevic urged supporters not to fret over the removal of his controversial mural in Johor Baru this evening, after it was painted over by authorities displeased by its insinuation of crime in the state.
In a brief message on his Facebook page today, Zacharevic kept up his upbeat response to the furore that was triggered following the controversy that first arose over the mural this week.
“Don’t get upset by the painting being removed. Johor Baru has proved to be a strong and opinionated state, please continue to make Malaysia as awesome as it is. I will see you again,” he wrote.
This afternoon, a Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) team had painted over the mural by street artist Ernest Zacharevic that depicted a Lego man wearing a ski mask and holding a knife waiting to rob a Lego woman carrying a “Chanel” bag.
MBJB previously said it would notify the owners of the properties hosting Zacharevic’s art pieces that it described as “vandalism” to remove these, but appeared to have taken matters into its own hands today.
It is unclear what will be the fate of the remaining two pieces.
Yesterday, two local painters took it upon themselves to add a Lego police officer with a pair of handcuffs to the mural, possibly to salvage the painting from the controversy.
Zacharevic made the scene a couple of years ago with a series of wall art in George Town, Penang. The project was part of the George Town Festival 2012. His wall art including the whimsical “Little Boy with Pet Dinosaur”, poignant “Boy on a Bike” and joyful “Little Children on a Bicycle” continue to draw crowds of people every day.
Zacharevic’s other drawings in Johor Baru depicts a couple looking at a large “tree” that is actually a patch of green moss on the wall and a water tank around a plastic pipe sticking out of a wall.
