'It's painful because my art is my children': Russian artist upset that her mural in Malaysia was painted over

Earlier in June, a mural in Singapore's Chinatown depicting a samsui woman smoking sparked online debate. 

The mural's artist had voiced out his opinions amid the controversy.

Over in Malaysia, there's another mural artist who is upset with the treatment towards her art. 

Russian street artist Julia Volchkova took to Instagram on July 15 to express her shock and confusion after she found that one of her murals on a building had been painted over with white paint. 

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The 36-year-old had done the mural, titled Goldsmith, in Kuala Lumpur in 2016.

The art was located on the side of a two-storey building in Jalan Panggung and depicted a bespectacled man in a singlet hammering an object.

"I'm in Kuala Lumpur, I was walking around and look at that," she said in an Instagram Reel while gesturing towards a blank wall that once used to show her mural. 

"It's so sad. They painted my mural; they covered my painting." 

She added in the captions of the post that she didn't know the reason for the mural's removal: "I don’t really know. I also want to know the reason. If anyone knows the real reason, please tell me."

She also noted in the post that people had asked her how she felt about the incident, and she responded: "Of course, it's painful because my art is my children. It’s a part of me."

Julia added that apart from her personal feelings, she still found it a "strange phenomenon" to remove the mural because the art was a reflection of Malaysia’s culture. 

"I understand if they are of poor quality. But here it is a fairly good work that all of Malaysia loved. And it was a very important landmark, a tourist point where people came. Of course, I know the rules of street art. If you paint on the street, be prepared for your work to be painted over." 

Julia had also asked people to share their opinions in the comments section. 

Some users apologised for the incident, with one urging Julia to go to Penang instead to paint there. 

One Malaysian suggested that while what Julia did was amazing, throughout the years, the building may have changed ownership and the new owner perhaps wanted a clean facade. 

Speaking from personal experience, one graffiti artist remarked that he or she had always viewed street art as "something temporary". 

The artist also said that if his or her murals were to be removed, he or she personally would not care.

AsiaOne has reached out to Julia for more details.

ALSO READ: Samsui woman mural to stay, building owner fined $2,000 for not getting approval: URA, MOH

melissateo@asiaone.com