George Town is the capital of the state of Penang in northern Malaysia and is one of the country’s main tourist draws. With its gorgeous architecture, atmospheric streets and mouthwatering food, George Town is my favourite city to visit in Malaysia! It’s also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its historic importance as a place of trade between East and West in the past 500 years. On one of my recent visits to Penang, I discovered a wonderful addition to the urban scene: street art in George Town!
Street art in George Town
I’ve seen street art in many cities around the world, like in Rio de Janeiro and Melbourne, but the street art in George Town won a special place in my heart in an instant because many of the scenes brought back fond childhood memories from the time I used to live in Malaysia. In 2012, the authorities commissioned Ernest Zacharevic, a young artist from Lithuania, to create six works in the streets of George Town. The result was stunning and quickly gained worldwide fame.
I LOVED the street art in George Town by Ernest Zacharevic as they got me reminiscing about my childhood days and I especially appreciated the interactive nature of his ‘3D’ street art. Many of the pieces comprised paintings of children in every day scenes (from my youth) accompanied by a prop, such as a motorcycle, bicycles and even swings.
Other street art murals in George Town
Wherever I walked in George Town, there was always a mural or street art to admire. This made my stroll around George Town so much fun as it felt like I was on a treasure hunt! Along the way, I discovered many more pieces of art commissioned by local companies and organisations.
What I loved most about the murals was that many of the pieces had some cultural or historical reference.
Functional street art
Some pieces were commissioned to point out places of interest or food stalls!
Interactive street art
It was lots of fun to see passers-by posing and interacting with the pieces in all sorts of ways! My friends did an especially good job in entertaining bystanders with their wacky poses! Haha!
Certain quarters question the presence of the street art in George Town, a protected UNESCO World Heritage site. I think that these pieces are a great addition to the townscape as they beautifully (and often humourously) depict local cultures, customs and traditions. If you’re visiting George Town, make sure to keep an eye out for the gorgeous street art in the historic city centre, or you can, like I did, make it a little treasure hunt to find these pieces!
Read more about things to do in Penang, the heritage buildings of George Town or the Blue Mansion on Velvet Escape.
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Hi Alice,
I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy Penang!
Cheers,
Keith
I’m such a big fan of street art and love your snaps! I was in Malaysia but never made it here unfortunately. Now I really have to go 🙂
Great photo opportunity you found! I travelled to Penang a couple of years ago and really enjoyed George Town. I did notice a lot of the street art there and thought it was wonderful. Such a cool place to just go for a wander.
Thank you Tiago! I love Penang!
Cheers,
Keith
Very Creative.
Nice pictures
[…] very cool street art scattered across Penang, especially in George Town. ‘Hunting’ for street art in George Town is a great way to explore the city. There’s a famous collection by Lithuanian artist, Ernest […]