KOTA KINABALU – The Pillars of Sabah, a “collection” of artwork painted by local artists on what used to be columns of a building at a historical site here, have been “wiped clean”, rumoured to be in preparation for a federal minister’s visit.
Locals are confused and sad over photos circulating on social media of the now white columns, which had boasted the works of artists from Pillars of Sabah, a community street art project.
Project curator Jared Abdul Rahman said the structure – ruins of a burnt-down colonial building – is managed by the Sabah Art Gallery (SAG), and claimed that the artists were not consulted or informed of the decision to erase their artwork.
“We don’t know why it happened, but we heard rumours that a federal minister will be visiting on April 22 and the pillars had to be repainted.
“It is SAG’s site, and they can do whatever they like, but we are unhappy with how it was done (not informing the artists involved).
“Isn’t it rude to erase all our hard work without letting us know first?”
The Pillars of Sabah project started in September 2018, and has been a popular photo stop for tourists over the years.
Judging by the date of her upcoming visit to Kota Kinabalu, the cabinet member in question may be Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
Ironically, Phase 3 of the project – Pillars of Sabah 3.0 – was launched by state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Arifin in December last year.
Jared said Jafry has no knowledge of the instruction, and wants answers.
Pillars of Sabah said on its official Facebook page: “Our project’s journey has been a struggle. We’ve tried to navigate around censorship and other bureaucratic bullying.
“But despite our best efforts, it seems that we have stepped on too many toes.
“Today, we say goodbye to the Pillars of Sabah as we know it, but we won’t let authoritarianism win.
“Pillars of Sabah will live on. Elsewhere. Away from the drama. And, who knows, we might even build on it.”
SAG on its Facebook page announced that the pillars, which it dubbed the “SAG Art Place”, will have a new community project run by a group led by Japson Wong and Rosmaini.
“We are excited by this project as it will be the first big art installation project in Sabah, called the WOW (Wonders of Wilderness) Project.
“If any artist has any idea on how they would like to use the space, please send us your submission.
“Previously, we had Art Jam (2010), Grafitti Jam (2012) and Pillars of Sabah (2018, 2019, 2020).”
However, it made no mention of the sudden change in project group, and turned off comments for the post. – The Vibes, April 19, 2021
