✍️ 4 Sep 2025. Kuching, Sarawak is one of my favourite cities. There are many reasons to love it - delicious unique food, warm hospitable people, fascinating cultures, and I like to add, amazing murals.
Kuching is a lovely city of beautiful murals.
The huge murals, in particular, caught my eye.
Horse racing mural at Lorong 12, Jalan Padungan street.
The murals cover the entire wall from side to side, top to bottom. Familiar subjects, larger than life.
The connection is instant and deep, even though it is "just a mural".
I am grabbed by the amazingly fine details even though they are huge murals. The expressions so intimate, the lines, every line is a story.
I can smell the toasty aroma from dried cuttlefish roasting over charcoal embers under a kerosene lamp.
This same style of large murals is dotted around Kuching, always stops me in my tracks.
Watch in awe.
This was how my grandma looked.
I long wondered what giant is behind these wonderful, incredible murals. Read about him - he is Leonard Siaw 萧艺, a Kuching boy.
I always hoped to meet with Leonard. A giant of an artist to me.
So, during my latest trip to Kuching, I casually mentioned to travel kaki (buddy) mylovelybluesky as we walked along Jalan Padungan street, "How good if can meet up with Leonard hor?".
I wasn't thinking much nor expected anything.
As we walked past a small side street.... eh! Isn't that Leonard up there!?
It's like some sort of magic.
Make a wish with a pure heart with little or no expectations, and it is granted, as if by miracle 😁
Leonard was working hard on his project in the blazing afternoon sun, even artists have deadlines to meet.
But, he paused his work and came down from his platform to acknowledge don't-know-who-are-these strangers 🤭
We didn't identify ourselves except that we love his work.
Leonard was very friendly and indulged us despite the uninvited disruption to his inspiration and work schedule. No airs, genuinely down-to-earth person (which explains why his work has that natural visceral human touch that connects deeply).
You know..... creatives work in inspired spurts, so we could be interrupting his creative flow - but Leonard was all gracious about this serendipitous meeting with his gushing fans.
In my opinion, when an artist wants to connect, his work will naturally connect with people, draw people to it. Otherwise, the work will be detached and distant.
Thirty eight year old Leonard Siaw Quan Cheng is a true blue, born in Kuching boy. I can feel his passion for his hometown when talking about his work.
Leonard is self taught, driven by passion and raw talent which he honed through years of hard work, brush stroke by brush stroke. Okay..., he did have a degree in design from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, UK.
Leonard humbly acknowledged that his work is more detailed with each successive piece.
I found Leonard's humility towards continuous improvement humbling and inspiring. It's an attitude to life and work I aspire to as well.
Mural of Goh Beng Choo, the ang ku kueh maker located at Lorong (Lane) 16 of Jalan Padungan.
Sensitivity, empathy, compassion, respect and authenticity are the hallmarks of Leonard's work.
There are no shortcuts.
Even before the first drop of paint touches the wall, Leonard spends many days, if not weeks, engaging personally with his subject to get an in depth appreciation of the personality and craft he is portraying.
Leonard goes to great lengths to ensure his mural accurately represents the legacy, spirit and memory of his subject. Research, check, double check with documents and family of the subject.
The groundwork can take as long, if not longer than the brush work.
Every story, Leonard codes it into a line in the face.
Calloused hands tell tales too, if you listen with your eyes.
Many hands.
Imagination and artistry in portraying the deft, seasoned hands of the ang ku kueh maker.
Leonard sees his work as documents of old Kuching life which is fading quickly. He needed to capture them not only visually but also in spirit which is even more challenging.
For the veterans, the murals are their memories, for youth it's a reference for where they came from. For Leonard, the Kuching boy personally, it is a learning journey of self discovery and to know his own city more deeply.
Leonard's respect and sensitivity is not only towards the subject, but also a social responsibility towards the wider community, heritage, culture and collective memories.
At the moment, most of Leonard's work are in Kuching. He was invited to participate in Melbourne's prestigious Benalla Street Art Festival in 2018, paving the way for future Asian muralists.
Leonard capturing the spirit of the iconic Penang laksa ladies in this mural.
Honour the subject and the community. I applaud Leonard for taking this heavy responsibility seriously and ethically with all his talent and might.
Jia you 加油 Leonard.
Hope to see your work in more places around the world, including in Singapore.
Written by Tony Boey on 4 Sep 2025
Who is Tony Johor Kaki?
That's What We Called "Art " 艺术！
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