I wasn’t really
sure what to expect of Penang. I knew of Georgetown’s UNESCO heritage listing
so expected the town to feature historic elements, low buildings, that sort of
thing, and I had heard good things about the food, and that there was some
street art. What I didn’t realise was that the walls of Georgetown are a canvas
for street artists, and just about every street corner provides a fascinating
insight into life in Penang.
The Street Art
story
Artist Ernest
Zacharevic was asked to paint some murals around Georgetown, and it is his paintings
that are probably the most recognisable. The works often incorporate objects
such as bicycles and chairs, giving the art a 3-dimensional element. Several
other artists have also contributed to the street art collection now too.
Georgetown is also home to 52 humorous iron rod sculptures telling Penang’s
stories, following a competition run by the Penang State Government in 2009.
The best way to
explore Georgetown, as with any city you’re keen to see in detail, is on foot. If
you are keen to wander around Penang, at your own pace, and take in some of the
street art, I suggest you get hold of a copy of the ‘Marking Georgetown’ map,
and follow my suggested Penang street art walk.
1 – Trishaw
driver – Jalan Penang
Possibly the
largest piece of street art in Penang, the trishaw driver reclining in his
vehicle spans the side of a large building, just north of the old town area. It
is best viewed early in the day, bathed in early morning sunshine.
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| Penang Street Art - Trishaw Driver |
2 – Blue girl –
Lebuh Muntri
Again, a large
painting, the little girl stands between two windows, high on the side of a
building. As you progress along Muntri Street she is on the right and you need
to look back along the direction you came from to see her.
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| Penang Street Art - Blue Girl |
3 – Indian
boatman – Lorong Stewart
Having crossed
Love Lane and entered Stewart Street you will see the Indian Boatman on the
right, along a side street after about 100 metres. He stands out nicely on a
yellow wall. (From here turn right onto Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, then left
onto Gat Lebuh Chulia).
4 – Swings – Gat
Lebuh Chulia
At the southern
end of Chulia Street there is a last alleyway on the left side. Once you have
turned into this lane a doorway, festooned with minions, is on the left and the
swings are on the right hand side,. The painting is made 3-dimensional by the
inclusion of a real swing mounted against the painting and by leaning on the
swing you can become part of the artwork.
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| Penang Street Art, Swings |
5 – Basketball - Gat
Lebuh Chulia
Immediately
across Lebuh Chulia, there is another alleyway containing a street stall. The
basketball-playing children are painted on the northern wall. They are subtle
and tucked away in a corner. Sadly the painting is deteriorating a bit.
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| Penang Street Art - Basketball |
6 – Children
taking pancakes from bicycle – Gat Lebuh Armenian
Three paintings
are very visible on Armenian Street. The first is the painting of children
reaching through a window to pinch food from a bicycle outside. The real
bicycle standing against the wall brings the painting to life. The painting is
on a shop face on the right side as you walk north from Pengkalan Weld.
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| Penang Street Art - bicycle |
7 – Fortune Cat –
Gat Lebuh Armenian
Further along Armenian
Street, on the left, Fortune Cat smiles benignly at passers-by. He is one of
several artworks featuring cats, due to the 101 Lost Kittens project, aimed at
raising awareness of the needs of stray animals.
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| Penang Street Art - Fortune Cat |
8 – Blue Cat –
Gat Lebuh Armenian
Slightly further
along Gat Lebuh Armenian, and opposite a small alley there is a blue cat
painted on a small wall, just back from the street. It is often covered by a
bicycle hire stand.
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| Penang Street Art - Blue Kittern |
9 – Bathe us –
Gat Lebuh Armenian
Tucked down the
side street that a large black rat hides along, and accessible from Armenian
street, Bathe Us is a small, and often overlooked painting, outside someone’s
front step. It features two wet and scraggy looking cats, highlighting the need
to care for animals.
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| Penang Street Art - Bathe us |
10 - Skippy and
rat - Gat Lebuh Armenian
Skippy the ginger
cat, painted on the side of a building is enormous. He is best viewed from the
southern corner of the building, meaning you can also see a rat painted onto
the next side of the building, cheekily lurking around the corner.
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| Penang Street Art - Skippy |
11 – Cats and
Humans living happily together – Lebuh Pantai
Just inside the
boundary wall of the Cheah Kongsi meeting hall, the Cats and Humans painting
stretches along a wall perpendicular to Lebuh Pantai. It shows lots of friendly-looking
feline faces taking part in a celebration parade.
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| Penang Street Art - Cats and Humans |
12 – Motorbike –
Lebuh Ah Quee
Slightly further
along Lebuh Pantai, you turn left into Lebuh Ah Quee. Another famous painting,
the motorbike also features a real motorbike, the seat of which has needed to
be replaced because so many tourists sit on it for a photo.
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| Penang Street Art - Motorbike |
13 – Boy with kite – Lebuh Ah Quee
Right next to the
motorbike (to the left) is what remains of a painting of a small boy with a
kite. A large portion of the painting has been lost, but you can still make out
most of the boy, and part of the kite.
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| Penang Street Art - Boy with Kite |
14 – Bruce Lee –
Lebuh Ah Quee
Slightly further
along Lebuh Ah Quee, there is an alleyway to the right and the Bruce Lee
painting is on the other side of the right-hand wall. Despite appearances, the
Bruce Lee painting is actually intended to highlight the importance of taking
care of animals properly. The catchline is ‘Bruce Lee wouldn’t do that’.
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| Penang Street Art - Bruce Lee |
15 – Children on
bicycle - Gat Lebuh Armenian / Lebuh Pantai
As you retrace
your steps on Lebuh Pantai and turn right onto Armenian Street, you are
immediately upon the painting of two children enjoying a bicycle ride. This
painting is one of the most popular in Penang, possibly because it is a
depiction of such joy. It is in a terrible location really, right on that busy
corner. There is usually a crowd surrounding it, while traffic also tries to
get past.
16 – Learn
Hokkein – Lebuh Armenian / Lorong Soc Hong
Further along
Armenian Street there is a large purple wall with the enormous face of a young
girl painted on it. The artwork comprises the painting on the wall, but also
several bits of Hokkein painted on the street surface at the foot of the
painting.
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| Penang Street Art - Learn Hokkein |
17 – 3 girls -
Lebuh Armenian / Lorong Soc Hong
A cute little
piece depicting three girls, in bright colours is painted on the same wall as
‘Learn Hokkein’. A van selling iced tea is often parked in front of it, so you
may need to get up close to spot it.
18 – No Animal Discrimination
- Lorong Soc Hong
Tucked around the
back of a café on Armenian Street (follow the alleyway along Lorong Soc Hong
until it turns left), is a lovely mosaic, again sharing the message of caring
for animals.
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| Penang Street Art - No Discrinination |
19 – Lion - Lebuh
Armenian
The lion on
Armenian Street is painted on the front of a shop and has a bench in front of
it specifically for people to sit and pose with the painting for photos!
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| Penang Street Art - Lion |
20 – Witch and
children – Lebuh Armenian
An amusing
painting of a with and three children, one of whom is screaming, is painted on
a paneled door, a few doors along from the lion. It is a fun detail on an
otherwise uninspiring shop / store-room front.
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| Penang Street Art - Witch and children |
21 - Boy on chair
– Lebuh Cannon
Cannon Street
crosses Armenian Street. At the crossroads, you need to turn left towards a
small café on the right that stands nearer the edge of the road than others and
has a canopy of coloured umbrellas forming a ceiling. The boy standing on a
chair is painted on the wall just to the left of the café.
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| Penang Street Art - Boy on chair |
How to do it
You could make a
day of this street art trail, or you could do it more quickly in probably
around 3-4 hours. However, I’d suggest taking it slowly. Some streets don’t
have signs, making navigation a bit confusing, and some of the artworks are
tucked away in little alleys off the streets marked on maps so it is best to
have a bit of time to look carefully for them. There are also lots of
interesting shops, especially along Armenian Street and Cannon Street, which
are fun to investigate. Be aware, however, of the overwhelming heat. The
streets of Georgetown get remarkably hot during the heat of the day, so a
siesta might be in order!
If followed
numerically, my Penang Street Art walk ends in an area that is fun to spend a
little longer exploring, but if more convenient, or the art works you want to
see are at the end of the list, you could easily follow the walk in reverse
order. Have fun!
