The copyright of the #ChicksMore graffiti, which became the talk of the town, has been sold to a food franchise.
This was revealed by its painter, Sibu muralist Kong Chak Kiong or popularly known as Jagung, through a recent Facebook post.
“With a heavy heart, I announced that my self-made and very meaningful Chicksmore will be sold to Sushi Tie with conditional usage right.
“As I said before, the initial intention was to give voice to all artists including myself. I am very grateful to Sushi Tie for giving me the greatest support and encouragement to my concept and taking my graffiti to a better path,” the 31-year-old said.
Initially, the #ChicksMore graffiti, which portrays chickens of various sizes, that could be found throughout Sibu town caused a bit of controversy as it was painted illegally by a mysterious artist.
Back in March 23, Kong came to light and apologise.
Kong said the inspiration came while he was eating Chipsmore cookies, a popular Malaysian snack.
“The name Chipsmore gave me an idea to create and draw a lot of different Chicksmore to express my views on the government’s dissatisfaction with the development of art,” he said.
He added that his drawings were also intended to cover up the obscenities that other people have scrawled on the wall.
“I found this inelegant wall while searching for places for my #ChicksMore graffiti, and I wanted to beautify it as this is what the government is not doing.
“Hence, I took the initiative and help them beautify it, otherwise the wall would be ugly and not pleasant to look at,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sushi Tie, in a statement, announce that their acquisition of the ‘ChicksMore’ art by @AriesKong aka Jagung for RM80,000 was made in contribution to support creative and talented local artists.
“Indecent street graffiti can be a nuisance, but beautiful street painting can be very uplifting. We do not endorse illegal graffiti.
“Nevertheless, we appreciate the artist’s work in making an aesthetic enhancement to our community that gave our city a lively touch,” it said.
It said for the past 19 years, Shushi Tie not only strived to achieve its mission to provide good food and services, but also its commitment and support for the greater good of the community that it serves.
“We hope that with this acquisition, we will be able to create an influential ripple effect in raising public attention and support towards local artists and the local art industry.
“On another note, we will be working together with @AriesKong aka Jagung in developing ‘ChicksMore’ into our upcoming new brand and re-create ‘ChicksMore’, putting an interesting twist on the art to bring more fun and joy to the public,” it said.
