KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 25 — Art has a way of reviving what was lost.

As part of the Kuala Lumpur Biennale at the National Art Gallery, Malaysian artist Leon Leong has immortalised life at the iconic Razak Mansion – just prior to its May 2017 demolition – in his Cracks in the Wall exhibition.

The multi-talented Leong, who grew up in Ipoh, has had a career spanning literature, graphic design, interior design and education, in addition to his current vocation as a fine artist.

Leong (second from left) and some of the former residents of Razak Mansion.

Past works include the novel Beautiful Things (2006) and Optimistic Melancholics (2015), a solo exhibition of narrative paintings inspired by a stint in Istanbul, Turkey.

For his latest exhibition, Leong has created works that include a series of large portraits painted on pegboards as well as a triptych and murals inspired by the "glistening, dragon-like scales” of Razak Mansion’s brise soleil blocks under certain light conditions.

In November 2016, six months before the demolition, Leong rented a unit in Block 4 of Razak Mansion. This way he could live among the residents and have first-hand experience of how they lived their lives there.

Pegboard Series: The House of Melayu Chic (2017), oil on perforated board.

He says, "I could have just visited Razak Mansion, taken some photos and gone back to paint from the photos. But I did not want to.

"Living and working in Razak Mansion was like, well, home. The residents are genuine and friendly. Many know I was the ‘artist’ and they would gladly invite me to their homes and tell me stories of lives there. Almost all expressed sadness and nostalgia about leaving the place.”

Slowly, starting with patronising the economy rice shop run by Harris Phoon, who introduced him to many of the residents, Leong got to know his new neighbours — each with their own witty moniker to remember them by – better.

He recalls, "Makcik Noor ('The House of Melayu Chic') was my neighbour two doors down. Ameerul ('Boy Returned from Quran Study') was my next door young neighbour. But some subjects I had to approach them, such as the ‘Evening Routine of a Bank Programmer’ and the ‘Aunt with Nephew and Niece’.”

Pegboard Series: The Apothecary Brothers (2017), oil on perforated board.

Soon Leong managed to persuade some of them to sit for paintings. He says, "We often chatted during oil painting, though it was a bit tricky for me, but for some that was the only time we got to know about each other. Their stories, the mood of the sitting, the ambience, it all contributed to the flavour of the paintings.”

Leong made use of an interesting choice of material for his Pegboard Series, which narrated scenes of life in Razak Mansion.

He explains "The brise soleil façade of Razak Mansion was not only functional, it was also aesthetically impressive to me. It’s iconic. It not only concealed the residents from the harsh tropical climate, it also provided privacy – glare from passing visitors.”

Leong painting a wall mural at Razak Mansion prior to its demolition.

The building’s brise soleil made Leong think of pegboards, another functional yet visually interesting material. He says, "Pegboards are also a humble, ready-made material not unlike public housing.

"It echoes the way the residents look out, and how the viewers would look in, in a fragmented way. I reckon living in a building like this, for over 30-40 years, day in and day out, it shaped the residents’ views and behaviour.”

While the Pegboard Series was life at the Razak Mansion from up close, Leong’s Revealing Naga series viewed the Razak Mansion from afar. He says, "With 15 blocks of winding apartments covered in scale-like vent blocks, Razak Mansion was a naga (Malay for "dragon”). A naga that acted as a guardian to generations of Malaysians was now misunderstood and forsaken.”

Transferring the mural from the wall onto a parchment paper.

The series itself was driven by the then impending demolition date. Leong recalls, "I realised I had no more time to waste. Nudged by fellow artist Lisa Foo, I started drawing and painting a dragon on the walls. The naga was an idea, a metaphor. It’s in the heart of all of us, it’s history, it’s culture, it’s not visible, it can only be felt. For me to show its presence, as a reminder, as an evidence, I went ahead to ‘reveal’ it on the wall.”

Leong had never done a mural before but was not daunted by the task before him. After completing the mural with oil bars, he placed a parchment paper over it and transferred the naga impression onto the paper for framing and exhibition later. The process was not without its dangers though, according to the artist.

"But was the naga happy? While the phone was recording, it fell down and the screen cracked. Later when I moved on to draw on another wall on Block 7, I fell into a manhole and cut my ankles. I felt maybe I was disrespectful to the naga, and I stopped work soon after. I made some prayers and asked for forgiveness from the naga before I left the place for good.”

In the end, time spent at Razak Mansion affected Leong in moving ways he didn’t expect. He says, "I was touched by the trust in me from so many residents. A few of my subjects gave me their house keys when they went out.”

Such generosity and faith in the kindness of others may be signs of a more innocent, bygone era. All the more reason to revel in it, or at least, what has been captured in Leong’s artwork. Lean closer to these cracks in the wall, oh what stories they have to tell!

Revealing Naga I and Revealing Naga II (2017), parchment paper transfer of mural in oil stick.

Cracks in the Wall by Leon Leong

KL Biennale, National Art Gallery

No.2 ,Jalan Temerloh, Off Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur

Running until March 31, 2018

Open daily 10am-6pm

Tel: 03-4026 7000

To contact Leon Leong, email leon@minimus.com.my or visit leon-leong.com.