Johor Bahru Removes Ernest Zacharevic's Controversial Lego Murals

Lithuanian graffiti artist Ernest Zacharevic's latest artwork on the wall of a shophouse in Johor Baru was removed at the request of the building owner, said the local authorities.

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In defending its action, which had been criticised as an attempt to stifle freedom of expression, the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) said that it was the owner of the pre-war shophouse who had wanted the artwork removed, The Star reported.

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MBJB officer Amran Rahman said artists needed prior permission from property owners if they wished to draw on walls of buildings.

"The same rules apply if the building is publicly owned. You have to get permission from the local council first," Amran told the daily yesterday.

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A bicycle mounted on the wall of a pre-war shophouse in Jalan Pahang here – as part of an artwork by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic – has been removed by the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB).

His latest work features a Lego woman and a boy on a mounted bicycle and was painted on a wall in Jalan Dhoby in the city centre. The authorities removed the bicycle.

Zacharevic’s mural on the wall of a shophouse was also painted over by MBJB.

A company secretary, Keng Wee Lee, said she had expected that MBJB would repaint the wall based on its action to whitewash an earlier mural by the artist on a wall in Taman Molek.

MBJB Mayor Ismail Karim said it had no issues with Zacharevic painting on the walls of commercial properties as long as his works did not portray Johor Baru negatively, or promote products or services.

He said MBJB would repaint the wall where Zacharevic had painted a mural of a Lego woman and a boy riding a bicycle.

Meanwhile, the owner of the building, who declined to be identified, said she supported MBJB’s action as Zacharevic did not seek her permission before embarking on his latest venture.

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Meanwhile, Johor Baru MP Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad said if MBJB categorised the drawing as an act of vandalism, then it should also look at ways to clean the streets of the city from stickers and illegal advertisements.

Reproductions of Johor's controversial Lego mural by Lithuanian-born street artist Ernest Zacharevic have been stuck on a wall along Ah Quee Street here, causing a local stir in Penang.

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Unlike the southern state, the Pakatan Rakyat government sees no issue with the depiction of a knife-wielding Lego man waiting to rob a Lego woman carrying a branded handbag.

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When contacted by Sin Chew Daily, the Penang state arts, culture and heritage committee said the state government allows the artists to freely express themselves and will not destroy the painting for the time being until Zacharevic has expressed his own views.

"We are not going to whitewash it. We will ask Ernest first for his views. If he does not have a problem with it, then we will not have a problem with it," Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said today.

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"I do not paint on a whim although sometimes I do if I happen to have my paint and brushes with me. I normally plan, research, do some sketching on paper before I start the actual painting."

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"Vandalism against street art is a matter that begs to be discussed. It is a big question to the authorities. What is art and what is allowed in public? If art is disallowed, how come we can have advertisements?" he said.

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"If my work is so precious to me, I would never paint in the streets. I have learned not to get too attached to my work and I believe the incident in Johor Baru illustrated this."

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Similar cut-outs have also ap­­peared in an alley in Jalan Maju, the city’s “newspaper street” where several offices and bureaus of the media and publication distributing agencies are located.

Some of the cut-outs, printed to the exact size of the original painting, could be seen pasted on walls in the city centre

"My paintings are always a response to whatever social environment I get exposed to," Zacharevic told the BBC. "I noticed many people just feel extremely unsafe. Everyone I talked to - no matter what their situation - would say, 'Take care of yourself and hide your bag.'"

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"We cannot simply allow people to come and paint murals on the wall," Abdul Aziz at Johor Bahru City Council told the BBC. He insists crime rates are actually falling in the city, thanks to measures like improved street lighting.

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The whitewashing of the walls happened despite an attempt by two local artists to make it more acceptable by adding a policeman about to handcuff the mugger to the mural.

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MBJB public relations officer Aziz Ithnin added that those caught being involved in such activities on public properties including at bus stops, markets and multipurpose halls could be slapped with a RM250 fine.

The crime issue is particularly sensitive now that Malaysian authorities have earmarked the city and a huge surrounding area for a massive development zone called Iskandar.

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A clever addition was made to the controversial graffiti by Lithuanian-born artist Ernest Zacharevic in Taman Molek, Johor Bahru.

This morning, 13 Nov 2013, residents and passers-by welcomed an interesting addition to the art. Someone has drawn a figure of a policeman holding handcuffs and standing behind the thief.

JB mayor Ismail Karim said that the council would remove all three of Zachas' murals in the city as they were inappropriate. This followed an advise by state executive council (exco) member Tee Siew Keong that the artist use his talent to help promote the state's tourism and development instead.

Malaysiakini reported that Zacharevic - better known as Zachas - has been criticised by the state government has having ‘tarnished’ the city’s image.

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Earlier, the artist told Malaysiakini that the mural was his take on what locals told him were the things JB is known for - the theme park Legoland and high crime rate. "Art does not damage a city's image, crime does," he said in an email response.

Zacharevic said he followed his own consciousness as an artist and it was up to others how they wanted to interpret his art. He said it was also up to the city whether to remove the murals or keep them.

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Johor has the third highest number of crime committed per 10,000 people, behind Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

Seventy percent of the state's crime is committed in JB, Johor police reportedly said, with crime expected to drop to about 17,500 cases this year compared to 26,624 in 2008.

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The Gelang Patah MP said right-thinking Malaysians would agree with Zacharevic that art would not damage a city’s image, unlike the soaring crime rate.

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He urged Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, state executive councillors, the state police chief as well as the mayor to rise up to the occasion and use the mural to transform Johor Baru into a safe, low-crime city.

"Zachas’ murals can become a tribute to the transformation of Johor Baru into a safe and secure city."

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Lithuanian-born Zacharevic is a celebrated artist in Penang, where his street murals honouring George Town's heritage are widely praised and photographed by locals and tourists.

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