By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, Jan 19: Sarawakian artist Leonard Siaw’s ‘I Heart Kuching‘ mural located at Jalan Wawasan here has been nominated for Street Art Cities’ ‘Best of 2022’ Award.
The mural depicts a girl smiling while cuddling a cat, as it symbolises Kuching city, owing to the fact that the word Kuching is derived from the Malay word ‘kucing’ or cat in English.
The cat is gently cuddled by the girl who smiles through the pain that overcomes the battle against thalassemia which portrays a positive vibe and the passion and compassion of Kuchingites, said Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng in a statement today.
Wee called on Sarawakians to vote for the mural in bid to win the Street Art Awards.
“For sure, we cannot all paint like Leonard but we can participate as a community in any way we can, by appreciating his skill and ability on a global stage,” he said.
In order to vote, the members of the public have to download the Street Art Cities app on the Apple Store or Google Play Store. Voting closes in 12 days.
Wee added that as a new mural goes up in Jalan Padungan to celebrate its 100th anniversary and the important traditional food culture there, he is calling on Kuching’s creative and online communities to support the beautification of the city with public awareness and participation in online polls and social media engagement.
He said Siaw is hard at work immortalising the ‘ang ku kueh’ (red tortoise cake) specialist, Goh Bing Choo, on the wall of a row of shops at Jalan Padungan.
“He (Siaw) can be seen aloft in his cherry picker day after day. I hope Kuching people will drop by and see this mural as it emerges and, of course, buy some kueh as we prepare to welcome the Year of the Rabbit.
“More importantly, let’s support his efforts by posting about its progress on social media. Then Leonard and Kuching can get the recognition they both deserve,” he added.
Wee went on to inform that the ang ku kueh maker mural is the first of five murals planned for Kuching city over the next year and also the latest of a long line of incredible artworks that has popped up around the city. — DayakDaily
