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KOTA KINABALU: The Pillars of Sabah community art project may be another tourism product for the state capital, says Sabah Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Jafry Ariffin.
During the Pillars of Sabah 3.0 presentation on Sunday (December 20), he said that such initiatives to highlight local talent are very well received.
“It is proof that our local talents can produce good works of art.
“I hope it becomes another attractive place in the city center.
“I urge the public to visit and appreciate the views of local artists, who also highlighted the Covid-19 issue … this shows that we are not short of artistic talent,” he said.
Pillars of Sabah is an annual street art project where local artists paint its pillars in the ruins of a colonial building downtown.
Pillars of Sabah 3.0 curator Jared Abdul Rahman, who co-founded the project in 2018, said they had 30 artists for 30 pillars at the last two events, but this year they added another artist to complete the 31 pillars.
“This year, we focus on interpreting the virtues and values that the community must strive for as we face a world changed by a pandemic,” he added.
One of the younger contributors, 17-year-old Hwong Ka Ming, said she received the theme “Justice” and decided to paint multiple faces to show that justice is for everyone.
The student studying graphic design said that this is the first time she has made a mural, as she usually draws with markers on paper.
“Some days I would go from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., even until 10 p.m. to finish my work,” said the girl, who finished it on Friday since it started last week.
The oldest participant, 57-year-old driving instructor Loriot J. Moujing, was the first to complete the painting of his pillar with the theme “Solve.”
Loriot said she wanted to highlight the use of masks and physical detachment in her piece, and used a blue background color to pay tribute to healthcare workers around the world.
“There are drops of water to show hygiene when washing hands frequently, and I also put a symbol of medicine on top of the pillar, to remind us that it is a global pandemic,” he said.
Meanwhile, the poet Nelson Dino took a different path with the “Passion” theme that was given to him, choosing to go for cultural representation.
He came up with a Suluk geometric motif to show appreciation for Suluk women, who traditionally weave the pattern into garments for their men.
“I never did murals, just digital graphics and it took me nine days to finish,” he added.
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