Johnny Lau (刘夏宗) is a Singaporean artist famous for his iconic comic series Mr Kiasu.
In 1987, Lau graduated from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, with a bachelor's degree in architecture.
Rather than pursuing his career as an architect, Lau followed his passion for publishing and design and founded his first creation studio in 1990.
Lau was subsequently appointed creative director or co-producer of a number of artistic projects, working with McDonald's, 7-Eleven and Singapore government agencies such as the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) (renamed MCI since 2012).
Although Mr Kiasu personified Singaporeans during the 1990s, Lau sees Kiasuism as "a cross-section of certain demographics" rather than a concept "deeply rooted in Chinese culture such as Old Master Q".