Unique Georgetown
Georgetown has a rich history of different cultures and religions and is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Town since 2008. The city has its own and very unique architecture and cuisine, making it a great destination to add to your Malaysia itinerary. There is not an abundance to do here so we found 3 days was a good amount of time to spend in the area.
Street Art
Georgetown is widely known for its street art. But it wasn’t always a street art heaven. Surprisingly, it’s only really started in the last few years! The artwork includes colourful murals of traditional life, many animal artworks, and fantasy images. There are a few very famous pieces that attracts quite a crowd. But there are also many hidden and less well-known pieces that are worth taking a look at.
For us, it was quite a fun hide and seek game to find as many as we could. Some of the art we came across was quite faded compared to the photos we saw online, so in here you’ll find some more up to date photos. We didn’t get time to see them all, but below you can find our favourite pieces we came across while wandering the streets of Georgetown.
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1. Little Children on a Bicycle
The most famous piece in Georgetown that is now a landmark of the town. Artist Ernest Zacharevic’s work have a 3 dimensional appearance as street objects are merged into the painting.
Location: 2 Lbh Armenian
2. Boy on a Chair
One of the more popular artworks you can find in the streets of Georgetown, also created by Ernest Zacharevic. You can see a boy standing on a real chair sneakily reaching up to grab something.
Location: 14 Lebuh Cannon
3. Folkore by the Sea
Created in 2018, artist Yip Yew Chong from Singapore created this work to show the story of Chinese people who built their homes on the Penang waterfront.
Location: 59A Chew Jetty
4. Brother and Sister on the Swing
Self-taught artist Louis Gan Yee Loong painted two young kids on the wall which appear to be swinging. The work is interactive as you can jump on the swing next to them.
Location: 57 Chulia Street
5. Granny selling Soya & Segar
Right next to the brother and sister on a swing is another piece. This artwork shows a nan with her soya stall selling soya milk to the kids.
Location: 59A Chew Jetty
6. I want Bao!
This commercial street art piece was commissioned by the pastry shop owner to promote his business. Painted by artist WK Setor from Kuala Lumpur, the owner’s children are features in the mural.
Location: 28 Gat Lebuh Armenian
7. Street Vendors
Chan Kai Lun is a young artist from Penang. It is a giant work of two local vendors with fish and spices in front of them. With this piece he draws attention to the past days of street vendors in the streets of Georgetown.
Location: 8 Lorong Prangin
8. Hindu Celebration
Painted on the side wall of a white building along Chulia street you can find this large mural. The piece shows a Hindu celebration and is located close to Georgetown’s Little India.
Location: 35 Chulia Street
9. Monkey Staring
This mural is full of colour and shows the detailed face of a monkey staring at you with two big eyes. It is wearing a star-filled cloak and cannot be missed.
Location: 5 Gat Lebuh Armenian
10. One of the Many Cats
Throughout Georgetown, you’ll find many murals of cats. This was an art project in 2013 to raise awareness for stray animals. This specific one is a relatively new artwork, painted by Iwayndonal down an old alley.
Location: this alley is unnamed. But it is the alley parallel to the Lorong Song Hong street. The alley is narrow and covered by many colourful umbrellas. You’ll find many other pieces here.
Street Art Map
Collage
Here are a few of the other pieces we found while wondering around. As we said, Georgetown is full of murals (that we did not include in here) so be sure to get out and get lost to discover some for yourself!
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