{"id":4673,"date":"2020-12-02T18:17:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-02T10:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mysabah.com\/wordpress\/?p=4673"},"modified":"2024-06-25T14:53:24","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T06:53:24","slug":"street-art-graffiti-building-in-kota-kinabalu-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mysabah.com\/wordpress\/street-art-graffiti-building-in-kota-kinabalu-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Street Art Graffiti Building in Kota Kinabalu City"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You know this graffiti corner if you live in Kota Kinabalu city (KK). It’s the ruin of a nearly 100 years old British Colonial building (a.k.a. Old Welfare Building or Old Land & Survey Building) constructed between 1918 and late 1920. Unfortunately, though it survived the bombing during WWII, it was blazed by fire in 1992, otherwise it would be another great heritage building in KK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pic: the remnant of abandoned former Welfare Building behind HSBC Bank<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now this site is unofficially known as Sabah Art Gallery Art Space, which serves as an outdoor gallery for community art projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Former Land and Survey Department building burnt down on December 31st 1992 (Source: Bernard Lee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now what’s left now is a concrete step platform with many pillars on it. This site is located between HSBC Bank and Suria Sabah Shopping Mall (see Location Map<\/a>), next to a busy road in KK city centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pic: It’s next to a busy road where thousands of cars pass by every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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However, for over 20 years, no development is carried out on this golden real estate, so KK people was wondering. Then graffiti appeared and that area also became a hideout for drug addicts.<\/p>\n\n\n

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To most, this is an eyesore, because such graffiti looks like a mark of slums or high-crime area, which is nothing better than the scribble in toilet. I shared the same feeling too.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Later I noticed more decent murals showed up shouting for attention since 2010. Even though many still have mixed feeling about it, we start to appreciate it and call it street art.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Though these street art is not something of mainstream art, its colourful and free form of expression has attracted many tourists come for a closer look or a few snapshots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This site has become an open air gallery for community art projects<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Occasionally you would see model shooting there, because the vibrant mural makes a great backdrop. And it’s free. No artists would sue you for copyright infringement because you use their artwork in photograph. Many of them didn’t even sign their works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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