Scroll or use arrow keys to navigate the site

Photo Documentary: Streets of Kuala Lumpur

Life in Kuala Lumper, Malasia. For the full story on the project go to 'projects'.

Malaysia experienced an economic boom in the 20th century, making it one of the most competitive in the world. This attracted many people from Bangladesh, China, and Indonesia in their hunt for a better future. However, Malaysia never seemed to successfully target poverty and lately the rapid economic growth stopped which visibly hits the lower class, often the migrants.
I visited the many construction sites that can be found in Kuala Lumpur in an attempt to give all those workers building this city a face. This serie is called ‘Builders of Kuala Lumpur’. The economic growth in the 20th century of Malaysia caused a boom in the construction of modern skyscrapers. Up until today construction is going on at almost every street corner, the construction is mostly done by migrant workers from Bangladesh and Indonesia. Although the large scale construction is better supervised and regulated nowadays, small scale construction often lacks this.
The KL City Grand Prix 2015 was held for the first time in 2015 and aimed at bringing all layers of the KL community to the track to watch the race of the KL GT City Cup, V8 supercars, Lamborghini Super Trofeo, and Formula Masters. One of the few occasions in KL that people from a poor and rich background stand side by side to watch an event.
The suppression by the military regime (1962-2011) in Myanmar caused many minorities to flee the country, with the majority (92,263 registered) going to Malaysia. However, Malaysia only grants temporary asylum to refugees, meaning that the Burmese refugees are left in uncertainty, waiting for final resettlement to a country that accepts them. In the mean time, the Alliance of Chin Refugees (ACR) learning centre provides education for Burmese refugee kids in order to give them a better chance in their new country. The hope for change in Myanmar is sparked by the first partial free elections in 2015 that might mark the end of and era of suppression. I went to the Alliance of Chin Refugees (ACR) learning centre where Burmese refugees receive education. The serie is called ‘Burmese Refugees in Malaysia’ and attempts to humanise the term ‘refugee’ and show that they still find joy in life despite going through heavily traumatising experiences.

Contact Information

Brian Megens Photography
Grote Gracht 54C04
6211SX Maastricht, Netherlands
brianmegens@gmail.com
Tel. +31627493709
KvK Nr. 62263404