THOUSANDS of people flocked to the town of Benalla, located on the Broken River in the High Country northeastern region of Victoria, Australia, and 212 kilometres north east of the state capital Melbourne. There, their eyes feasted on some amazing works of art on the walls, buildings and even silos. All the handiworks of talented street artists.
The Benalla streetscape was transformed recently when the Wall to Wall Festival, an annual street art event, set the town abuzz. The highlight of the festival was the completion of the Goorambat silo project, where street artist Dvate painted a giant mural on the silo, highlighting the plight of the Barking Owl, which is endangered in the region.
Meanwhile, on the wall of a modest one-storey building, a mural of a boy catching fish arouses some interest. Titled Fishing Fun, it’s the work of our very own street artist, Leonard Siaw. The first Malaysian street artist to make a mark in Melbourne at the Wall to Wall Benalla 2018, he rubbed shoulders with a slew of local and international street artists, which included Aussies George Ros, Justine McAllister, Tim Bowtell, and American Lolo Ys.
Already in the second year of this competition, more Malaysian street artists are taking part for the chance to get their very own wall at the regional Victoria’s Wall to Wall Benalla 2019. The competition, organised by Visit Victoria and Publika, in collaboration with UEM Sunrise, aims to encourage the creation of art among Malaysian artists and to build affinity between Malaysia and Melbourne through art.
Kuching-born Siaw confides that his life has definitely changed for the better since winning the competition. The full-time mural/street artist and part-time graphic designer encourages those who are competing this year to give their best and most importantly, have fun creating art. “Most importantly, just enjoy the moment!” advises Siaw.
He shares more below.
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The initial plan for participating in the Make Your Mark in Melbourne street art competition by Visit Victoria and Publika Shopping Gallery in 2017 was to meet more artists and make new friends through the competition. I didn’t expect to be the Grand Prize winner at all. I remember my mind went blank when the emcee announced my name as a Grand Prize winner! It was too good to be true.
The artwork I painted for the Wall to Wall Festival 2018 in Benalla showcases one of the best memories during my childhood. I spent most of my time in the countryside, where my grandparents lived. There was a lake in front of the house, where my grandparents and uncle used to run a fish farming business. During the harvest season, everyone would jump in the lake, complete with their nets, to harvest fish and have fun.
As Benalla is a countryside too, I somehow found a connection and came up with the Fishing Fun concept for my artwork on my very own wall arranged by the Benalla council and Juddy Roller. My mural tells my story and I’m glad to share it with Benalla’s residents or anyone visiting the area!
One of the local Benalla residents commented that she felt like the kid in the painting spoke to her, which delighted me because something I did actually touched its audience.
WHAT DID IT MEAN TO YOU AS A MALAYSIAN TO JOIN THIS COMPETITION?
It’s indeed a great opportunity as you get the chance to showcase your work and personality. I’m glad to have had the chance to put Malaysia on the world map and actually leave a mark in Melbourne as the first Malaysian to do so.
WHEN DID THE PASSION FOR STREET ART START FOR YOU?
I’ve always loved to draw ever since I was young. My passion for street art was triggered when I worked as an assistant to my art mentor on his project 11 years ago. At the time, I was still new to the industry and unsure whether being a street artist was the right decision. I decided to focus on completing my studies and put aside my passion for street art.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST STREET ART THAT MADE YOU DECIDE THAT THIS WOULD BE YOUR CALLING?
The first street art was a small collaboration with a friend for the wall of a bar. It was amazing to see all these people stopping by and taking photos of it. They even discussed it and it was good to see people having fun with it. It was at this point that it sunk in that I was actually contributing to society. I decided then that I would pursue street art seriously.
WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO EXPRESS WITH YOUR STREET ART? WHAT’S THE MESSAGE BEHIND EACH PIECE?
My artwork constantly incorporates the effect of impact. I like to freeze all the amazing moments through my brushes. Apart from that, I like to infuse optical illusion.
My creations also emphasise on the interaction between the viewer and the artwork.
This adds a different kind of sensation and engagement. I feel that I can tell a story and share moments through a mural or street art.
SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT STREET ART IS A FORM OF VANDALISM. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS?
If painted with permission, it wouldn’t be vandalism. Then again, if it’s painted without permission but if it’s beautifully painted and people admire it, it wouldn’t be a vandalism either. Vandalism is messy or done as stencil graffiti sloppily done without permission.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT STREET ART?
Normally, people look at it as a form of vandalism; serving no purpose or benefit to the community. I feel that street art should be allowed if it’s done in the right location or environment. It has the ability to transform one’s perception of the city, turning a boring area into an outdoor gallery.
It can help boost tourism too - just look at the laneways in Melbourne, a constant tourist attraction!
Many people have this idea that street artists have it easy because all they need to do is paint and just share their work on social media. This is untrue. Artists like us have our fair share of struggles too. The biggest challenge is sacrificing the time and effort so that we can create a piece of work that we can be proud of.
HOW BIG IS OUR LOCAL STREET ART SCENE?
We do have a beautiful culture for art and for the street art scene, but when compared to Melbourne - one of the street art capitals in the world - we’re still relatively new. I think that the local street art culture is constantly growing and has started to impact our daily life, making more and more of our spaces come alive.
WHAT DEVELOPMENTS HAVE YOU SEEN IN OUR LOCAL STREET ART SCENE?
There’s some really nice street art that can be seen in the city, more and more these days. They beautify the city and help to change the look of an urban area, transforming an area into an outdoor gallery of sorts. A good example is Penang, where the street art scene is pretty developed.
WHAT’S YOUR MOST BIZARRE TALENT THAT ONLY A FEW OF YOUR CLOSE FRIENDS OR LOVED ONES KNOW ABOUT?
I like to create puns! I always give friends nicknames, which are usually based on how they look or I make up names based on their name’s pronunciation into something similar but means something else in my first language (Chinese) or my local dialects (Hokkien and Hakka). It can get quite disturbing and hilarious sometimes!