On the Yayasan Chow Kit building in downtown Kuala Lumpur, contemporary artist Haris Rashid has painted a massive wall mural with a simple message: stay positive.
Featuring local tropical plants such as the pitcher plant, hibiscus and rafflesia, the three-storey-high mural symbolises diversity.
"It's also about growing and thriving despite life’s challenges and hurdles. A story of survival and triumph,” says Haris, 29.
This message of hope and positivity seems apt as the non-governmental organisation is a drop-in centre for at-risk children and teenagers in Chow Kit. It provides meals, therapy and educational programmes.
"The colours are based on our melting pot of cultures influencing each other.”
The Petaling Jaya-based artist adds that it was important for him to paint a mural that blended seamlessly with the building's surrounding area.
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This mural project is part of the Chow Kit Art Sanctuary initiative, supported by the Cultural Economy Development Agency’s (Cendana), MyCreative Ventures and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
Haris and muralists Syamsul Haffiz Addenno and Shany Ahmed were commissioned under this urban art initiative to give the walls in Chow Kit a vibrant and colourful splash.
Syamsul spent nearly 200 hours earlier this year painting a mural of the late Sudirman Arshad on the walls of a building adjacent to Jalan Chow Kit. Sudirman held the Chow Kit Road Concert, which drew close to 100,000 people, at the exact same location in 1986.
Shany Ahmed, or Manje as she is affectionately known, has yet to start on her mural. But she assisted Haris in painting his mural, which took two days to complete.
“This project is important to me because I’ve always tried to challenge myself with my art and I’ve always wanted to work on a public KL wall,” says Haris, who used 10 spray paint cans and six litres of wall paint to complete his mural.
He has painted nearly 20 wall murals, one of them being his 2019, wildlife-inspired mural on the walls of Toppen Shopping Centre in Tebrau, Johor.
“This one being the Yayasan Chow Kit building makes it even more meaningful to me. I do hope that it brings some positivity and inspiration for the kids to dream.
“Also, because Chow Kit used to be the centre of activity in KL at one point, our aim is to bring back the culture to the walls and present it in a new light,” says Haris.
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