Monday 28 December 2015

23. Escape in Kuala Lumpur


Probably the most prolific artist working his magic along the concrete walls of Kuala Lumpur's Klang River, is a man known by the street name ESCAPE VA. (The VA standing for Visual Art.)

Known better to his mother as Mohd Zaki bin Nordin from Ampang, K.L., the talented artist is no amateur. He has a diploma from the Malaysian Institute of Art and a degree in Graphic Design from K.L. Metropolitan University College. Before becoming a full-time muralist, he worked as an event coordinator and graphic designer, and painted commissioned works in his spare time.

But the streets were calling.

“It came to a point where it was a real struggle juggling between the two responsibilities. I eventually took the plunge to quit my nine-to-five job and focus on fulfilling my heart’s calling.” (Source: interview Leaderonomics online.)

His works have been seen on the streets since 2006. Many are portraits of women:
 



Some of his murals stand alone, while others are done in collaboration with fellow artists:


 
And some are just zany images:
 







We read somewhere that one of his favourite quotes is,
 
"Quality means doing it right when nobody is looking."
 
Clearly, ESCAPE has lived up to his own high standard.





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