They said the government should be more proactive in the protection of their rights as not only do they contribute to the economy but also carry the burden of representing the culture and art of their communities.
Mural artist Crig Francis, 41, said although he was glad the whole conflict with DBKK had now come to an end, he was disappointed that many Sabah artists had become victims of plagiarism.
“City Hall has graciously apologised and I accept it.
“We had a meeting yesterday, along with top officials from DBKK, the mayor and the artists who they had commissioned for the plagiarised mural.
“I am glad they admitted I have been wronged. But there are still many other artists who had their work plagiarised, ranging from photography, paintings and others.
“All we hope for is respect and protection of our creative rights,” he said at a press conference held in Tanjung Aru here today.
Also present were fellow artists Yee-I Lan, Christiane Goonting, Rizo Leong, Jared Abdul Rahman and a representative from the Sabah Art Gallery, Intan Munirah Hamzah.
On Oct 18, Francis had sought an apology from DBKK for plagiarising his design meant for a mural project to be painted on a concrete gabion wall near Sabah’s historic Padang Merdeka field.
DBKK had initially approached him for the project in February last year and he had submitted his design.
The local government never got back to him thereafter and Francis found out months later that his designs had already been painted on the gabion wall.
He discovered that DBKK had commissioned out the work to another artist and that his design was passed on to the artist by an officer from the local government.
DBKK launched a probe after Francis’s experience was publicised. After a couple of discussions, DBKK admitted fault and issued a formal apology to him yesterday.
Fellow artist Rizo Leong noted he was also disheartened that students from an art school were roped in to do a rip-off of Francis’s artwork.
“This shows that they don’t take artists and their work seriously. The art lecturer did not even bother to come out with original work.
“Fellow artists, including the art teacher, should acknowledge the work of other fellow artists.
“Sabah artists are one of the most active ones and were given opportunities to showcase their work locally and abroad,” said Leong, who is known as Pangrok Sulap.
Yee I-Lan said Francis’s experience is a lesson on ethics and said artists represent the culture and arts of their respective communities.
She said that better protection of their creative rights and legal aid should be available following this episode.
“The government can be more proactive in this matter. That includes the Sabah Arts and Cultural Board,” she said, adding that there are provisions in the state law that protect the artists’ creative rights.
Jared Abdul Rahman said he is aware that there are parties asking artists to work for them for free, claiming this would give them much-wanted “exposure”.