About Leong Sijun 梁斯峻

4 min readJun 19, 2022

painting with conviction and hearts

Sijun was born with Down syndrome and congenital heart conditions. At 16 month, his dad passed away after losing the battle to cancer and since then Sijun’s health deteriorated and had to undergo surgery. As a toddler, Sijun was not keen on toys, he preferred drawing and expressed his emotions on paper.

It has always been difficult for him grip the paint brush properly due to his muscles development and his poor eye-sights make it more challenging for painting. He would paint very slowly stroke-by-stroke to fill up the whole canvas. It took him several weeks to complete an artwork.

Sijun loves cars and paintings, if given a choice; he would want to become a car designer or an Interior Designer. He is a cheerful boy, like his paintings, colourful and bright; he feels happy with colours and sunshine.

Sijun is now18 years old, he has been painting for almost 10 years. He has produced many beautiful art pieces for exhibitions and sales through online platforms. Sijun was featured in a charity event, with David Beckmann, which raised nearly S$20 million.

He has participated in several art exhibitions and also presented his artworks to special guests including:
Mr and Mrs Lee Hsien Loong (Prime Minister of Singapore)
Ms Denise Phua (Mayor of the Central Singapore District)
Mr Desmond Lee (Member of the Parliament of Singapore)
Ms Grace Fu (Member of the Parliament of Singapore)
Mr Baey Yam Keng (Member of the Parliament of Singapore)

Bring Me There Series

This series will be on display in the coming Smart City Show in ChongQing 2022. It is a joint collaboration between Sijun and his mentor Nancy Pey.
“Bring Me There” is a collection of memories and dreams, places that NanC recalls from her childhood days. On the contrary, Sijun wants to go to these places in different types of vehicles. Time has passed and the city has been refaced through urban redevelopment but memories stay fresh in our mind. A collaboration between the 2 artists who expressed the old and new elements in each artwork through painting and stitching.

Chinatown . Trishaw
Painted by Leong Sijun
Embroidery stitches by NanC Pey
2018
Acrylic and sewing thread on canvas 30 x 40cm
Once a common transportation for housewives to go to the market and children to go to
school; trishaw is now a tourist novelty to see the city

Waterfront . Bumboat
Painted by Leong Sijun
Embroidery stitches by NanC Pey
2018
Acrylic and sewing thread on canvas 30 x 40cm
Uncover the rustic charm of the historic waterway and the modern city skyline in a
bumboat.

Sentosa . Cable Car
Painted by Leong Sijun
Embroidery stitches by NanC Pey
2018
Acrylic and sewing thread on canvas 30 x 40cm
Cable car glides across the sky to the island of “peace and tranquility”; it is a world of its
own, fun filled with excitement and adventures.

Orchard Road . Hippo Hip On
Painted by Leong Sijun
Embroidery stitches by NanC Pey
2018
Acrylic and sewing thread on canvas 30 x 40cm
Hop on a sightseeing bus and enjoy the Christmas decoration.

Kallang Airport . SQ Plane
Painted by Leong Sijun
Embroidery stitches by NanC Pey
2018
Acrylic and sewing thread on canvas 30 x 40cm
First airport, First national carrier.

Museum . Favourite Vehicle
Painted by Leong Sijun
Embroidery stitches by NanC Pey
2018
Acrylic and sewing thread on canvas 30 x 40cm
Grab Tank brings you to the door step of your destination. Choices and varieties are readily
available in this modern city. Everything is becoming possible in Singapore.

Colourful HDB . SBS Bus
Painted by Leong Sijun
Embroidery stitches by NanC Pey
2018
Acrylic and sewing thread on canvas 30 x 40cm
It was once upon a time, a colourful “attraction”, given away its limelight to the buses — a
bittersweet feeling.

Tiong Bahru . Taxi
Painted by Leong Sijun
Embroidery stitches by NanC Pey
2018
Oil and sewing thread on canvas 30 x 40cm
Go Tiong Bahru for breakfast in a yellow top taxi

Reservoir . Bicycle
Painted by NanC Pey
Embroidery stitches by Leong Sijun
2018
Oil and sewing thread on canvas 30 x 40cm
A morning ride to Upper Seletar Reservior — calm and peaceful with turquoise waters and
balmy breezes.

Past Exhibitions

2016 — Garden of Joy @Suntec
2016 — Through Foreign Eyes @URA City Gallery
2018 — BE Locality, Memories, Reconstruction @URA City Gallery
2018 — MBS Charity Festival, Sijun painted with David Beckham and raised $20M
2019 — Lion’s Club — The Art of Giving 1 @Singapore Expo
2019 — Lion’s Club Charity Auction, Sijun painted a statue of a Lion auctioned for $10K
2019 — Duan Wu Festival Art Exhibition @Goh Loo Club
2019 — BE Goes Wild @URA City Gallery
2019 — The Art of Giving 2 @JustCo Marina Square
2021 — Giving Hearts @The Arts House
2021 — Uniquely by Singapore Artist @Goodman Arts Centre
2022 — My Exhibition — My Best Loved @The Arts House

MBS Charity Festival