House of Vans Asia 2018 kicks off in Kuala Lumpur from Sept 7-9 at 2 Hang Kasturi in the city centre near Central Market. Activities include music gigs, photo exhibitions, art workshops, a BMX bicycle contest and a KL-wide skateboarding session.
Other cities in the House of Vans tour include Seoul in South Korea, Singapore and Guangzhou, China.
Commissioned to create posters for all the cities in the tour is Malaysian artist Kide Baharudin. He was picked after becoming a finalist at the 2017 Vans Asia Custom Culture competition, where he competed against artists from all over Asia to design original artwork on a pair of Vans shoes.
Kide says; “I came up with my concept (for the posters) with ideas of local culture and heritage - I still feel my style and drawing strokes fit best in the illustration world where I highlight local culture.
“I start with research and random sketches, taking ideas from books, internet and my travels. I tried to come up with images that compliment the characters’ emotion and activities, while adding some humorous elements as well.”
Based in Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan, Kide’s brightly-coloured poster for the KL event is inspired by Kampung Baru, with a traditional kampung house in front of a backdrop of the city’s skyline. Skateboarders zoom between chickens and banana trees as a band plays unconcernedly on the veranda.