City Hall says not part of decision to paint over mural by Russian artist

KUALA Lumpur City Hall had no part in the decision to paint over an eight-year-old mural by Russian artist Julia Volchkova at Jalan Panggung.

Kuala Lumpur Advisory Board member Andre Lai said that City Hall did not give instructions to whitewash the mural on the side of a two-storey building.

“The mural was done in 2016 and was an arrangement between the owner and the artist at the time.

“Now, perhaps the owners have decided to cover it up as it has faded or they want to put something else up.

“It (the removal) does not involve City Hall at all,” he said when contacted.

Lai added that there are new guidelines when it comes to murals.

“The property owner must submit an application to City Hall’s Building Control Department to be vetted, including a visual of the proposed mural.

“A permit to display (the mural) is given with a validity period of two to three years,” he said.

ALSO READ: 'We are crying,': 8yo 'Goldsmith' mural in KL erased, street artist asks, 'Why?'

The recent controversy erupted after Volchkova took to social media seeking answers over the mural being covered up with white paint.

The mural, named 'Goldsmith', depicted a bespectacled man in a white singlet hammering what appears to be a nail into an object.

The artist took to Instagram on July 16 to express her confusion and sadness over the removal of the mural.

“I’m in Kuala Lumpur, I was walking around and look at that. It’s so sad ... they covered my painting. We are crying,” she said in a video.

Volchkova said in the caption she did not know why the mural was removed and pleaded for an explanation.

“If anyone knows the real reason, please tell me,” she wrote.

“(It is) painful because my art is my children. It’s a part of me. Creating this work was very difficult, in unbearable conditions.”

According to her Instagram account, she has also painted other murals in KL, as well as in states like Selangor and Penang.