Despite holding a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, Muhammad Riduan Raja Yunus never regarded mural painting as a high-value art form, let alone one with strong potential to generate income.
As a result, the Universiti Sains Malaysia graduate focused entirely on producing paintings as his main source of livelihood after completing his studies in 2019. However, things did not turn out as he had expected. After a year of working as a visual artist, he failed to sell even a single painting.
Left with little choice and determined to make ends meet, the Kelantan-born artist eventually took up a job as a food delivery rider.
INTERESTED IN VISUAL ART
Signing off his paintings under the name SM Raja, the 31-year-old said some of his friends later encouraged him to venture into mural art, but he was initially reluctant.
“For me, murals are the lowest form of art and that is why I did not want to get involved in this branch of art,” he told Bernama in an interview recently.
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Muhammad Riduan became a mural artist almost by accident after accepting a job offer from Genting Skyworlds Theme Park in early 2020. Initially expecting to work as a visual artist, he was instead assigned as a muralist.
“However, I did not work there for long as the country was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
Following the lockdown, Muhammad Riduan returned to painting in July 2020. He began producing works that were different from his earlier pieces and, eventually, a painting of his that was displayed at Galeri Prima here was sold in September 2020. Unfortunately, he never received payment for that painting.
THE MURAL SCENE
When 2021 dawned, Muhammad Riduan’s New Year’s resolution was to venture more seriously into mural art. His first mural, produced together with a mural artist named Tongkang, completely changed his perception of the art form.
The mural, featuring 16 portraits including that of Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, was painted on the body of a Boeing 737 aircraft, placed in front of a hotel near the Sungai Besi Highway. The project demonstrated the strong potential of mural art to generate lucrative income.
“I was surprised at the time when I was paid RM100 a day just to paint a mural. Previously, earning RM100 meant working as a food delivery rider from morning until night,” he said.
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He later joined Art Battalion, a professional mural company specialising in wall art (murals), graffiti and creative designs for homes, commercial premises and iconic buildings across the country.
It was there that Muhammad Riduan began meeting artists who had long been active in the mural scene and learned the proper techniques of mural painting.
“While I was with Art Battalion, some members were discussing a mural project that was going to be carried out in Bangi (Selangor). I was drawn to the design and volunteered to join the project without even asking about the payment. At that time, the opportunity to paint a mural with such an interesting design was already enough to motivate me.
“When the project was completed, I received RM1,300 for three days of work. I was truly surprised as I considered it a large payment, and that was when I began to realise that I could pursue a worthwhile career with the talent I possessed,” he said, adding that he was paid on a project basis by Art Battalion.
At the end of 2021, Muhammad Riduan faced another setback when he was involved in a road accident while on his way to work, which left him with a broken leg. He had to return to his hometown in Pasir Puteh, Kelantan, to rest and undergo rehabilitation.
“In March 2022, I returned to Shah Alam to continue my career as a muralist even though I had not fully recovered.
“Since then, I have been actively producing various murals and am now a full-time muralist. What was once a field I looked down on has now become my main source of income
“Only now do I truly see and believe that mural art can go far and also generate a lucrative income,” he said, adding that to date, he has produced more than 1,000 murals in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Kedah, Perak, Pahang, Kelantan and Penang.
CHALLENGES
Painting murals comes with its own set of challenges, and for Muhammad Riduan, one of the most challenging and memorable experiences he encountered was completing a mural on a circular structure.
“This particular project at the Faculty of Earth Science at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan in Jeli gave me a very different experience because the surface I had to paint was not the usual flat wall, but a large spherical structure.
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“The curved surface required a different visual approach, where every line, shape and composition had to be adjusted to the circular perspective so that the image would remain balanced when viewed from different angles. It was quite difficult because of the rounded shape, and the structure was about two and a half storeys high,” said the artist, who works with an assistant.
He explained that painting a mural on a curved surface requires great precision during the sketching and painting process as even a slight change in the curvature of the surface can alter the visual shape of the entire work.
Weather conditions also posed a challenge as the mural was produced during the monsoon season.
“The frequent rain and constantly damp surface affected the painting and drying process. Just imagine, the mural had already been completed and I had returned to Kuala Lumpur, but not long after that, heavy and continuous rain began in Jeli, causing severe flooding around the Universiti Malaysia Kelantan campus.
“A week later, the university informed me that the mural had completely disappeared because the paint had not fully dried before it was washed away by the rain,” he said, adding that he later returned to the faculty to carry out touch-up work on the mural.
Reflecting on the incident, Muhammad Riduan described it as a valuable experience that taught him an important lesson about the real challenges of producing art in public spaces that are constantly exposed to natural elements.
Among the locations featuring his murals is the LRT Ampang Park station here, where his work, completed last December, highlights themes of unity and Malaysia’s multicultural society. It features popular foods such as roti canai, traditional kuih and local fruits.
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“For the mural here (LRT Ampang Park), I had to paint 40 people, which was quite challenging. The work could only be carried out between midnight and 4 am. The project took about a month to complete because of the limited time available for painting,” he said, adding that a mural usually takes three to four days to complete, depending on the theme.
Muhammad Riduan added that he feels satisfied whenever he completes a mural according to a client’s request.
“It becomes even more exciting when we record videos of the entire process from start to finish and upload them on social media. It is very motivating when people leave positive comments and appreciate the work we produce,” he said.
DREAMS
Muhammad Riduan hopes to go further in the field of mural art. Over the next five to eight years, he aims to have at least one of his murals in every state in Malaysia.
He also aspires to expand his mural work internationally, including in Indonesia and the Philippines.
“This is my ambition,” he said.
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He said mural art carries its own narrative value and uniqueness because it is very close to the community. According to him, murals are not merely visual decorations but also a medium for conveying messages to the public.
“A mural is not like a banner or poster. It is an art form created around various themes and expressed through the artist’s feelings. We tell stories through sketches and paintings,” he explained.
Muhammad Riduan added that among the themes often featured in his mural projects are unity and multicultural society, as well as tropical elements as well as flora and fauna.
For young people interested in pursuing mural art as a career, his advice is this: “Passion is the key to success in this field… don’t rely solely on your talent.”
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