Paintbrush in hand, Singaporean artist Yip Yew Chong added his finishing touches to his latest mural at the side of a shophouse at 92 Arab Street on Saturday.

Despite the scorching sun on most days, the artist had been painting for close to nine hours daily since July 12.

“I am very happy, relieved and satisfied with the outcome and public response,” he said.

Covering the entire side wall of the shophouse, the mural depicts what life was like in Kampong Glam in the past.

“I spent hours staring at the empty wall way back in 2021 to conceptualise the design. It was like ‘painting’ the wall with my mind and my eyes imagining the visual,” Mr Yip said.

The arresting art piece is the first tangible outcome of a five-year plan launched in July to energise the historic precinct. The plan will see Kampong Glam host more cultural activities, add green spaces and feature more artwork in the coming years, among other things.

Paramax Holdings, the owners of the shophouse, commissioned Mr Yip to paint the mural to showcase the culture and history of Kampong Glam. The wholesale textile trading company began its business in Singapore in 1967.

Likening the mural to a living canvas and museum, managing director Anil Chandru Thadani said he feels overjoyed to pay tribute to Singapore’s heritage and looks forward to seeing the faces of people when they walk by the mural.

The most prominent aspect of the mural shows the cross-section of a house in Bussorah Street, with two children playing with a paper plane.

Places such as the old Masjid Sultan before its reconstruction in the 1930s, and a view of the seashore houses along Beach Road in the 1800, are also featured.

Said Mr Yip: “I hope visitors get to learn more about the culture and history of Kampong Glam, and I have already seen it is working because I overhear many tour guides using the mural to explain (things) to students and tourists groups.”

Mr Yip said the biggest challenge he faced was that the boom lift he used was not high enough to reach the top of the shophouse. To improvise, he taped the brush to a long pole to extend its reach.

The artist, who does not have formal training, is well known for his heritage murals in neighbourhoods such as Tiong Bahru, Kampong Glam and Chinatown. This mural is his seventh mural in Kampong Glam.

In January, he completed a 60m-long painting based on his memories of old Singapore, which is similar in length to five double-decker buses lined up head to tail. The work is by far the 54-year-old’s longest, in sheer length and the time taken for completion.

With this mural done and dusted, Mr Yip said he will be painting a few canvases in the cool comfort of his studio. 

Speaking at a talk organised by My Community Festival at Chinatown Complex on Sunday, Mr Yip urged the public to snap pictures and enjoy them while the murals are up.

“Street murals are transient. Under the tropical elements, they can only last for several years, after five years, they will look very tired. So go view them before they fade and get whitewashed over,” he said.