Street Art in Penang
October 26, 2013
The Lithuanian-born artist took a temporary residence in Penang and left his mark with beautiful wall painting all over Georgetown. The artworks are funny, fascinating, and very much open to everyone’s interpretations. We walked around George Town to discover as many wall paintings as possible, resting at different cafes in between. If you visit any of the cafes in my “Guide to Cafes in Geroge Town, Penang“, I am sure you will be able to find some wall paintings nearby. Just open your eyes bigger and look around.
Kungfu Girl @ Jalan Muntri
The Awaiting Trishaw Paddler @ Penang Road
Little Children on a Bicycle @ Armenian Street
Boy on a Bike @ Ah Quee Street
Reaching Up @ Cannon Street
Besides the street art by Ernest Zacharevic, there are also metal sculptures around Geroge Town which describe the prevailing colloquial demeanor of the early settlement days.
ONE LEG KICKS ALL @ Lebuh Muntri
The “black and white” Amahs were Cantonese domestic servants from Guangdong who did all kinds of household chores and would refer to themselves with wry humor as “Yat Keok Tet” (One Leg Kicks All).
WIN WIN SITUATION @ Lebuh Muntri
MuntriStreet was named after The “Orang Kaya Menteri” of Larut, Perak, Ngah Ibrahim
BECA @ Lebuh Chulia
Next…here, here and here! Locally known as ‘beca’. Most of the trishaw paddlers also doubled as tourist guides.
KANDAR @ Lebuh Ah Quee
Nasi Kandar originated from Tamil Muslim hawking home-cooked curry dishes and rice from containers slung on both ends of a kandar (a wooden stick)
CANNON HOLE @ Lebuh Cannon
A cannon shot fired during the 1867 Penang Riots made a large hole in this area, hence the name.
PROCESSION @ Lebuh Armenian
The Tua Pek Kong Hneoh Grand Float Procession is held in the Year of the Tiger to wash away bad luck and bring great wealth and health.
SPY @ Lebuh Cintra
In the early 20th century, the slightly risque reputation of this area was further enhanced by the presense of Japanese camera shops which were suspected of covert spying activities.
THREE GENERATIONS @ Lebuh Kimberley
Kimberley Street is famous for its hawkers food. Some stalls have been here for over 3 generations.
TOO NARROW @ Lorong Soo Hong
The hand-pulled rickshaw was the most popular form of transportation in early Penang.
AH QUEE? @ Ah Quee Street
Ah Quee? Ah Kwee? Ah Kooi? Ah Kui? AhLo! The street is named after Kapitan Chung Keng Kwee who generously donated his house to the Municipality for vehicular access, ensuring that his name lives on for posterity.
If you are heading to Penang soon, this “Street Art of George Town, Penang” map is helpful: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&t=m&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=206983907087560792960.0004c3e782fdd713fd759
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