Aries’ brush with fame – Murals to bring city to life

MIRI: Since young, Aries Kong has been told that to become an artist is to be condemned to a poor man’s life, instead of picking up a stable career to pay the bills.

So upon leaving school, he did odd jobs as a clerk, a cashier and even an insurance agent – hoping to find the path to ‘success’.

“I wasn’t making much at the time, but I was taking one step at a time, focusing on my job and hopefully to make more money to bring home,” he told The Borneo Post.

Eventually, he yearned for something else.

“Having talent in painting, I dreamed of becoming an artist when I grew up. But I went another way in order to make a better living. Three years after I worked other jobs, I felt differently – that it was not something that I was supposed to do, but to embrace my true self.”

With encouragement from his loved ones, Kong quit his day job to become a full-time artist – more precisely, a muralist.

“Mural art is quite captivating in Penang, thanks to Ernest Zacharevic. He is one artist among many who inspires me to follow in his footsteps.”

Armed with brush, spray cans and paint, the 25-year-old Sibu lad took up one of his earliest projects at a shopping mall in his hometown .

Since then, Kong has been approached by many from around Sibu, Bintulu, Miri and Kuching, as well as Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baharu, Ipoh (Perak) and from as far as Taiwan (Changhua City) offering projects for him to beautify their facades.

Kong, who is known among friends and clients as ‘Jagung’, said most of his murals were based on client’s demands, and most of his artworks were commercialised art.

From coffee houses to lounges, kindergartens to shopping malls, he now has dozens of artworks under his name despite starting off only one-and-a-half years ago.

“I have an assistant, so basically we are only a team of two. One job usually takes about three to four weeks depending on the size. To maintain the quality, I would restrict us to only three projects per month, to keep my mind from being over-burdened.”

The rising popularity of street and mural arts in Sarawak is sending a positive message to young artists that their talent could be put to good use here.

“There are many budding artist who specialise in 3D mural painting and deserve a chance to showcase their artwork. Many buildings here are plain and dull; hence, to have these muralists to light up the faces of the city is a splendid way.”

With fame, comes criticisms mainly from local art critiques, Kong would always choose to openly accept the brickbats.

“Art is best described as beauty that lies in the eyes of the beholder. It is difficult to judge an artwork based on one

person’s perception, because there is no one standard in art. As long as it is not provocative and generally acceptable, it is still good art,” Kong opined.

He was here recently on invitation from a premium shopping mall to produce several artworks. Going by the theme ‘Women – Sensual and Confident’, this artwork – completed in mid-December – comprises clean lines and a clear message to send to the public.

“Unlike man, woman is a creature that can present herself as soft-spoken with loud personality, shy but confident, may look weak but when it comes to multi-tasking they are better than men,” he said in elaboration on his artwork.

In comparison with other muralists, Kong hoped to accumulate more experience, so that he could collaborate with other artists, especially foreign ones.

“It would be great to share and exchange ideas on what we could do for street art. Changing the face of street art could mean changing the art of murals to become more acceptable by the public.”

Whether he would be in this career for long, Kong conceded that there had never been a dull moment for him.

“My experience as an insurance agent taught me about financial planning. Other jobs taught me to appreciate every job offering good income. To me, it is about experiencing every stage of my life that I have endured, to live it up and tell others the stories.”