Zulkefli stands in front of a mural depicting Kampung Palembang, a district in Kluang. He has turned an unoccupied bungalow in Kluang, Johor into a Rumah Seni project, featuring 3D and 4D wall art and murals. Photo: Bernama
Zulkefli Dahlan, a former cartoonist for local humour magazine Gila-Gila, filled his spare time during the pandemic years by scribbling and painting on the wall of his friend's house in Kampung Melayu, Kluang in Johor.
The 45-year-old artis has since produced 62 huge paintings. The last few murals - in 3D and 4D - were drawn at the unoccupied bungalow at the end of last year. All the work used mural paint, smart paint and watercolour before being applied with lacquer.
"Initially, I only toyed with the idea of creating murals indoors, but after receiving support from friends, I created some outdoor works. All the murals in this bungalow took between three days and four months to complete," said Zulkefli.
"When the MCO ended, friends suggested that this bungalow be turned into a gallery because murals can become a tourist attraction. Since then, starting in February, this bungalow has been called Rumah Seni (art house)," he added.
Zulkefli, who has been interested in painting since he was five-years old, said that after Rumah Seni was opened to visitors, the gallery received nearly 1,000 domestic and foreign tourists, including from Singapore and Indonesia.
Among the mural highlights are the portraits of Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim and also Kampung Palembang, which is one of the locations in this Kluang district.
"As a child, I was laughed at by a teacher because I liked to sketch stick people. Since then I was determined to draw seriously and thankfully now my murals can also be found in several other districts including Mersing, Tangkak and Batu Pahat," he said.
Tourism Malaysia has also added Rumah Seni to its list of Kluang attractions to draw tourists. – Bernama
