By YESSAR DAOU
You may have noticed that Sandown Park, Noble Park and Yarraman railway stations have attracted some unusual visitors of late.
Poster-like artwork known as ‘paste-up’ has appeared at the stations in recent weeks, but the street artist behind these unique creations considers himself no vandal — rather, a messenger.
The artist, known only as Zie Kito, started an anti-racism campaign called Project EMBRACE, aimed a lifting cultural acceptance in the Dandenong area.
“It shouldn’t need to be said, but people need reminding every now and then not to be racist,” he said.
“Sometimes people just need a smile and I’d like to hope my work does that. I want the images to portray that someone’s always willing to give you a hug regardless of who you are.”
The project started because Zie Kito wanted to respond to recent mainstream media that highlighted racism as an issue on public transport.
“There was video captured by people on a train. An Asian woman was thrown a racial slur just because she sat next to her son.
”I thought it was a disgusting display, so I wanted to broaden people’s mind and show them different cultures. Everyone’s an Australian in their heart . . . so I wanted to give racists the chance to embrace different cultures.”
The paste-ups are made from photos taken of Zie Kito’s friends, who gave their blessing to use their faces as part of the cause.
“I’ve made it black and white on purpose,” he explains, “to make it known that colour doesn’t matter, that’s how it should be seen. Then there’s the big red burning heart, which shows these people are Aussies in the end of the day, regardless of colour or race.”
Zie Kito recognises that Dandenong is an area known for its crime and multiculturalism, part of the reason he is targeting the area.
“I chose Dandy because there is a lot of negative connotations in the area. There should be awareness to say foreigners are just as Aussie. People don’t come to Australia to be put down, but to live a better life.”
To see more of his artwork and follow Project EMBRACE, search ‘Zie Kito’ on Facebook.
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