PETALING JAYA: One particular building in the centre of downtown Kuala Lumpur stands out from all the others, with a bright and vibrant Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) themed mural adorning the five-story shoplot.
The eye-catching mural attracts the attention of passersby while also giving them a simple explanation of the APEC 2020 summit, which concluded last month.
APEC 2020 saw the launching of the Putrajaya Vision 2040, which replaces the Bogor goals plan that ends this year, and the Kuala Lumpur Declaration 2020, which emphasises efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic while setting the framework towards strengthening the country’s growth.
The Vision 2040 also aims to develop a dynamic, sustainable and peaceful Asia Pacific community by that year, through the three key economic drivers under the vision – trade and investment; innovation and digitalisation; and strong, balanced, secure, sustainable and inclusive growth.
APEC 2020 also stressed the shared prosperity philosophy, used by member countries to improve the nations’ economy and people’s welfare.
The artist behind the mural, Edmund Low Yew Mun, 31, expressed gratitude for being given the chance to utilise his creative spark, saying he did his best to present the message of the APEC summit to the community.
Low, who also goes by the pseudonym Nestwo, said the painting shone a light on Malaysia’s success in hosting the APEC summit, while including elements such as unity, economy, agriculture, environment and technology.
“I used the sky and characters of various backgrounds as elements to signify the source of our strength, balance, peace, sustainability and economic growth. To depict trade and investment, I included containers and cranes.
“The concept of shared prosperity is also shown through the depictions of a farmer and a woman. This message explains that shared prosperity is the backbone of holistic economic development,” he said.
Low, who has more than 10 years of experience in painting murals, said such artwork attracted members of the public, especially youngsters, who would choose such locations as a backdrop for pictures.
“This kind of artwork grabs the attention of the local community because it stands out according to the creativity of the message.
“The community’s perception towards murals has started to change. In fact, many companies, agencies and organisations have been utilising it as an effective and unique marketing platform,” he said.
Low said his experience in working on the mural enabled him to understand the annual summit better, as he needed to be able to interpret and deliver the core messages to the community through his artwork.
The mural had also attracted the attention of the international trade and industry ministry (MITI) as the national secretariat in charge of hosting APEC 2020.
Malaysia had achieved several historic milestones as the host of APEC 2020, with the summit being held virtually for the first time in history. The event ended on Nov 20.