KUCHING, April 28 — Jalan Power near Lebuh India is usually a hive of activity with people bustling about their business but there is an added air of excitement with the presence of world renowned street artist Ernest Zacharevic.
The blazing sun does not deter the young Lithuanian under a huge square umbrella facing a shop wall along Jalan Power which forms the canvas for his three dimensional interactive mural today.
Choosing the easily recognisable and lovable orang utan, which can only be found in the tropical forests of Sarawak and Sabah as his subject, Zacharevic, 27, starts painting at 11am.
The first piece of art features eight baby orang utans in a wheelbarrow, using an actual wheelbarrow sliced in half as a prop which people can hold and pose for pictures.
He then goes on to another section of the wall and paints an orang utan ‘swinging’ from a real gutter fixed to the wall.
A member of his audience, Zarina Abidin, in her 20s, felt that Zacharevic’s murals would promote Sarawak to potential tourists.
“People will surely take pictures of these murals as remembrance and I feel this will be a new attraction in Sarawak,” she said.
Alfred Lee, already a fan, was excited about Zacharevic’s latest pieces in Kuching.
“I’ve seen his work in Penang and taken photos of them. I can’t wait to add the murals in Kuching to my collection,” he said.
According to a spokesman from Spago Property Sdn Bhd, the company which brought Zacharevic over to Kuching, he will create another five master pieces in various locations in the city.
“Apart from the Sarawak River waterfront area, we have scouted five other locations for Zacharevic’s murals,” he said. — Bernama
