Penang Street Art
The explosive street art scene first in Georgetown, Penang, then spread to the rest of Malaysia and even Singapore, could be attributed single-handedly to Lithuanian artist, Ernest Zacharevic.
When I was a kid, a visit to Penang was deemed incomplete if we did not visit KOMTAR. These days, it is not complete if we did not pose for a photo with the “Little Children Riding a Bicycle” wall mural by Ernest, the most popular piece out of the many by him.
Ernest came into the scene when he was commissioned to paint a number of murals to promote Georgetown and Penang during the 2012 George Town Festival.
His project, named Mirrors of George Town, saw him complete at least ten murals on the walls of dilapidated buildings in and around Georgetown, giving them a new breath of life.
In today’s post, I am sharing public murals and wire art that I spotted while out and about in Penang during a recent trip to the island at the invitation of Gaya Travel Magazine and Tourism Malaysia Penang.
As you can see, since the first street art piece by Ernest, many artists have hopped on the bandwagon, and they are no less capable, I must say!
To date, there are tens of beautiful and memorable street art that tell the story of each particular area or community in Penang. To spot them all, grab yourself a free copy of “Marking George Town” brochure published by Penang State Tourism Development & Cultural Office and Penang Global Tourism.
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No body expected these simple art pieces could become a tourist attraction.