An Examination of the Case of Zacharevic’s Art and the Lego Brand, with a Focus on the White Washed Johur Bahru Mural, from a Political Economy Approach
(Student’s Full Name)
An Examination of the Case of Zacharevic’s Art and the Lego Brand, with a Focus on the White Washed Johur Bahru Mural, From a Political Economy Approach
Some persons who have had the chance to view Ernest Zacharevic’s mural in Johur Bahru (JB) in Malaysia may share the same sentiments of expressed in the above quotation. Persons may have differing opinions of whether or not it was or was not done properly. This mural depicted a female Lego figure walking with a Chanel bag, and a masked male Lego figure waiting for with a knife. The authorities indicated that Zacharevic used his artistic abilities irresponsibly as it will scare persons and negatively impact the economy of the area. While others contend that the artist was attempting to point out the steady increase of crime in the area as well as the contradictions of creating a Legoland theme park in the midst of this crime wave. In light of the political economy implications of the creation of this mural, it is implied that although the artist work may be perceived as being politically incorrect, may have the ability to send the wrong message to criminal elements, and negatively affect the economy of JB, it can be argued that Ernest Zacharevic's uses his Lego mural to highlight the possible impact of crime and violence on tourism in Johor Bahru; in addition, it was used as a means to provoke thoughtful discussion and debate about the impact of crime on tourism and the Malaysian attempts to ignore its possible impact while employing elements of sarcasm, irony, and dark humour to underscore his point about the impact of crime on tourism in the area.
Mark Johanson (2013) confirms the fact in his article that Johor Bahru is known worldwide for its high crime rates. However, despite this fact, Malaysia has built Asia’s sole Legoland theme park (Johanson, 2013). It is implied that Zacharevic wanted to make a social commentary on the creation of a Legoland theme park created a mural depicting the Danish toy on the corner of a street. After the mural went viral on the Internet, the JB authorities decided to whitewash the mural. Aziz Ithnin (a city official), echoed the sentiments of the majority of the city officials by stating that the mural was “‘bad for investment and tourism’” (as cited in O’Brien, 2013, para. 5). The city’s authorities warned the artist to use his talent in the “‘right way’” (as cited in O’Brien, 2013, para. 6).
Nevertheless, it can be posited that the artist indeed did use his talent in the right way by highlighting the effect that the high incidence of crime will have on Malaysia’s attempts at transforming JB into a tourism mecca. Zacharevic used irony to show how the ludicrous nature of creating a Legoland theme park, which symbolizes childish innocence, in the midst of a city, which is known for its “ugly” occurrences of crime. Additionally, it can be argued further that the physical whitewashing of the mural by the JB authorities represent the authorities emotional, mental, and political attempts to ‘whitewash’ or cover up the possible impact of crime on the economy of the city. O’Brien (2013) mentions that the Malaysian government in November 2013 stopped sending crime statistics to the United Nations. The mural may have been the artist way of indicating that rather than confronting and tackling the issue of crime frontally, the Malaysian government prefers to engage in ‘whitewash’ or camouflage tactics, such as refusing to send official crime statistics to the United Nations. Furthermore, the website, news.com.au noted that the federal government was accused of covering up the problem of crime by “tweaking with data” (2013, par. 17). The leader of the Democratic Action Party, Lim Kit Siang, urged the Malaysian authorities to focus on the “problem of crime rather than depictions of it” and criticized the government for behaving ridiculously by debating the mural (O’Brien, 2013, par. 15).
Therefore, it can be argued that the mural depicting the Lego woman with the Chanel purse and the masked Lego man with knife does not negatively impact on the economy of Johor Bahru, but rather the crime situation which the mural is highlighting is affecting the economy of the country as well as ‘painting’ the country of Malaysia in a negative light.
In addition, it is suggested that the artist, Zacharevic, desired to use the mural to initiate a conversation and a debate concerning the crime situation in JB. According to O’Brien (2013), the artist uploaded a picture of the mural on his Facebook page which received 7,000 likes and started a debate concerning the high crime rates of JB. The artist indicated that he “‘celebrates democracy and embrace pluralism’” and commended the idea of his work being discussed in a public setting (as cited in O’Brien, 2013, par. 9). Zacharevic noted that the attempts of other local authorities to make the mural politically correct, by painting flowers over the knife and painting a Lego police with handcuffs, underscores the point that the Malaysian society is one which refuses to “highlight negative points of view” (Johanson, 2013, par. 10).
Moreover, it is important to note that the JB mural was highlighted through the use of social media, in the form of Facebook. The message of the JB mural was highlighted by various members of Facebook who were made aware of the importance of the message being promulgated by the mural. Social media provided a space to engage in constructive discussion as it pertains to the impact of a mural. The blogosphere was also utilized by the Zacharevic to promote the importance of persons engaging in discussion related to his work. O’Brien (2013) mentioned that Malaysiakini (a local blog) hosted Zacharevic who indicated his artwork was never intended to be permanent was it was simply up to the local community what it was they wanted to do with it.
Furthermore, Zacharevic’s mural can be interpreted from a feminist point of view when one decides to analyze the mural by focusing in on the female Lego with the Chanel bag, who is a potential victim of the knife-wielding male Lego. The female is placed in the usual role as the victim of a male, which represents ideologies pertaining to the patriarchy. The patriarchy is empowered by a male-dominated society to use any means to subjugate and overpower the female. The female is also depicted as being unaware and being frivolously engaged in symbols of fashion such as designer labels. The Lego female is not illustrated as arming or protecting herself. This adheres to the patriarchal ideologies which suggest that women are frivolous and mainly concerned with seemingly unimportant matters such as fashion, clothes, beauty and so on. The mural appears to make the suggestion, which is influenced by the philosophies and ideologies of the patriarchy, that women are not smart or clever, especially when using mechanical objects, such as guns. The woman is portrayed as being incompetent and incapable of protecting herself. She is made to feel more comfortable with a designer hand bag rather than a gun to protect herself.
This feminist critique criticizes the political economy approach which is generally used to interpret Zacharevic’s JB mural. This is because the political economy approach used to interpret the JB mural suggests that women are the sole victims of crime, with symbols usually worn by women and related to high fashion being targeted by robbers. The US Embassy in Kuala Lumpar, for instance, warned that women and men should place their purse and backpacks on the shoulder away from the road so as to avoid having them “snatched by motorbikes” (O’Brien, 2013, par. 12). The use of both the words purse and backpacks in its warnings suggest that crime is not gender-biased and affects both sexes. However, the JB mural does not indicate that crime affects both sexes, and appears to be biased against females, and portrays them as the victims.
However, it can be argued that the feminist critique complements the political economy approach used to interpret the JB mural in that the robber is seen attacking a female with a designer label. This depicts the fact that crime is a social impediment which prohibits symbols related to wealth, luxury, and prestige, which women (like men) tend to desire to associate with through their mode of dress. This confirms the statements made by Aziz Ithnin, who is an official with Johur Baru City Council, that the JB mural is not good for “investment and tourism” (news.com.au, 2013, par. 5). The picture depicts the fact that crime is not only a threat to women but a threat to the economy and the political structure of the country of Malaysia.
In conclusion, the JB mural, created by the artist, Zacharevic, can be interpreted from by using theories related to the political economy approach in that, from a negative perspective, it can be perceived as a means of sending the wrong message to visitors and potential investors as well as criminal elements, which will then help in perpetuation of the high crime rate of Johor Bahru. Consequently, it can cause JB to be ‘painted’ in a negative light and negatively affect the economy of the surroundings. As a result of the negative economic impact that the mural can potentially cause, the JB mural is politically incorrect. However, from a positive standpoint, the mural can indicate that the crime is an impediment to social development projects, such as the Legoland theme park; and, consequently, crime needs to be attacked and dealt with in a systematic and effective manner before such projects can be implemented. The JB mural can also be analyzed from a feminist perspective in the sense that the female Lego is perpetuating the patriarchal ideology which suggests that the woman is the victim, and she most often times helpless and unable to defend herself. The mural should have been less gender-bias, and portrayed both sexes being the victims of crime. Additionally, the social media and blogosphere has the potential to jumpstart engaging conversation about street art and help to widen the audience.
References
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JB Council Explains Why They Removed Zacharevic's Latest Lego Mural 'The Bicycle'. (n.d.). SAYS.com. Retrieved October 12, 2014, from http://says.com/my/news/lego-mural-by-ernest-zacharevic-in-johor-bahru
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