Building connections
AFTER three years, a Siberian street artist made a comeback to Penang and began her new project on Oct 5 at batu Lanchang flat beside the iconic wet market.
Julia Volchkova, 30, said that she welcomed everyone to witness her artwork in progress, which was expected to be completed within a week.
“What I love about Penang is how diverse the people are, especially with their rich and unique cultures, which gave me a lot of inspiration in making art. also, I love the people here because they are very friendly and supportive towards me and my art,” she said.
Volchkova said that this will be her ninth mural in Penang – four located in balik Pulau while the rest can be found in the urban region of George Town. She said that the roughly 6m x 10m wall surface will depict the 87-year-old grandmother and the two-year-old daughter of William Oon Yeow Loon, 35, who collapsed from a stroke and was left half-paralysed since October last year.
Oon, who used to work as a chef, was the sole breadwinner for his family of six. His family did not have a fixed income and could only rely on handouts and donations due to his current condition.
“I have met them (Oon's family) to get to know more about their background, and I want my artwork to deliver a message about the touching stories of the people here. My purpose of creating street art is to build connections among the people around the world and tell them to be kinder, more open-hearted and helpful to each other,” said Volchkova.
The idea was mooted by batu Lanchang state assemblyman Ong ah Teong, who had visited Oon's family at Jalan Slim, in May this year.