One mural (left) had distorted the faces of the people in the original illustration (right). - POK POK & AWAY/FACEBOOK, SCREENSHOT FROM LEE XIN LI/BEHANCE
SINGAPORE: Shifu Food Court in Bras Basah Complex has apologised and taken down murals plagiarised from well-known local illustrator Lee Xin Li.
The food court, which had been closed for a month-long renovation and reopened on Sept 30, unveiled its revamped facilities in an Instagram post on Sept 21, highlighting new murals it had installed.
The murals featured local hawker scenes against the backdrop of Singapore’s skyline. One also pictured a family of otters scurrying near several men who appeared to be clad in Formula 1 uniforms, bearing an uncanny resemblance to an illustration by Lee commissioned by Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix in 2020.
The food court boasts 14 stalls and can seat a total of 430 people.
Lee, who is currently overseas, took to Facebook on Oct 1 to point out the copied artwork, saying that his artwork “was used without financial remuneration, permission or communications”.
“To further add insult, the generative AI tech was used to create some mangled mess to my artwork,” he said, referring to a portion of one mural that distorted the faces of the people in the original illustration.
The homegrown artist, who is renowned for drawing inspiration from the Singapore environment he grew up in, said Bras Basah Complex is a place of sentimental value to him, full of fond memories from his schooling days.
Speaking to The Straits Times on Oct 2, Lee said his original artwork was a digital 360 degree illustration meant to be viewed on mobile devices and presented in digital media. It took about three months to complete.
He said he found out about the copied murals through a friend who sent him photos of the newly renovated food court. The artist verified the news through the social media accounts of Bras Basah Complex and Shifu Food Court.
The initial post by Shifu Food Court had credited the murals as the work of students from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Nafa), though it later clarified that this referred only to a mural painted on the outside of the food court.
The mural painted by students from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. - BRAS BASAH COMPLEX MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION
A check by ST showed that Shifu Food Court has since wiped its Instagram account.
Addressing Lee in a Facebook post on Oct 2, Shifu Food Court said it offered its deepest and most sincere apologies to him for the situation, adding that it had completely entrusted the interior design to its contractor.
“We genuinely had no idea that the design provided by our contractor contained your work, and it was never our intention to use it without proper credit or permission, and if we had known the origins of the artwork, we would have sought your consent from the start,” it said.
Taking responsibility for the oversight, Shifu Food Court said it is investigating the matter and that the mural has been completely removed.
Lee said Bras Basah Complex has also apologised to him via e-mail and that he is not keen to take legal action.
“I would prefer it gets resolved amicably with a sincere apology and appropriate redeeming actions made to the affected parties such as Nafa and myself,” he said.
Though reparation discussions are still in flux, Lee said he has suggested for the parties involved to make a donation without tax exemptions that match the fees for such projects to art organisations.
The Bras Basah Complex Merchants Association, which has been managing the complex’s social media accounts and communication, clarified with ST that it is not the building’s management and that the complex is owned by the Housing Board.
It said it “operates as a facilitator for community activities, and does not have direct control over the business operations, interior designs or artistic decisions made by individual merchants”. It added that each tenant is responsible for its own interior design choices - including any artwork displayed or used in its space.
“We know that the damage has been done and understand the seriousness of this matter.
“We have reached out to the tenant concerned to ensure they understand the importance of respecting artists’ rights and to address any misunderstandings regarding the source of the murals. We take these matters seriously and value the contributions of artists to our community,” it added.
This is not the first time Lee has had his work stolen.
In June, local confectionary Ollella took the artist’s illustrations of local desserts from graphic design platform Canva, and printed them on shopping bags.
Lee said neither Ollella nor Canva sought his permission to use the artwork, adding that he was not the only artist involved in the Ollella incident who had their works used without their knowledge.
“Thankfully, Ollella was proactive in seeking a solution and we managed to work on a project together. There can be good outcomes out of bad incidents,” he said.
The plagiarism of artworks is becoming increasingly prevalent in Singapore, Lee said. Technology, he noted, is exacerbating the issue.
In the case of Canva, for instance, his artwork was submitted for use without proper vetting by the platform, said Lee. This led to Ollella using the artwork without knowing it was stolen.
He said: “AI technology can also make it easier to plagiarise work online. With technology, there are no boundaries as well, the act could be done overseas while the artwork is from Singapore.”
ST has reached out to Shifu Food Court for more information. - The Straits Times/ANN
