Interview Joceline Yan Images Courtesy of Hyrul Anuar
When he’s not wearing the hat of an Art Director at Leo Burnett and creating commercials or campaigns for Samsung, Uber and others, Hyrul Anuar focuses his time on his passion projects as a filmmaker, animator and artist. His recent exhibition, Menjemur Sementara Hari Masih Panas, showcased some of our favourite Malay proverbs in a visual series.
How did your exhibition Menjemur Sementara Hari Masih Panas come to be?
I drew them because at the time, I was living in Italy and had nobody to talk to about my problems. I was pretty depressed during that time because I was so lonely and homesick.
Some of my drawings had their own story behind them, and they happened to match up with Malay proverbs. One day, my boss Erik Ravelo, an internationally renowned artist, caught me drawing during office hours and I freaked out. But it was he who told me to continue with my drawings, and to turn them into a proper project before I had to return to Malaysia. His encouragement and belief in me made me feel that project had huge potential.
