One of the main attractions in Penang (and also one of the things I loved in the place) are the little “surprise” artworks we encounter along the way.
It wasn’t initially part of our itinerary but it instantly got my interest when we saw one while walking around. Then we found out that there are more than 30 different 3D mural paintings and wrought-iron caricatures mimicking life in Penang, scattered all over the streets of Georgetown. Amusing!
Walking around Georgetown should be short and easy. The temples, heritage sites, street arts and other sights are located near each other. But being a newbie in town, we found it a little hard finding the sites with just a map on hand. No access to GPS lah! :P
The weather is also very humid so it left us feeling hot and lethargic. Bottom line, we were not able to see all the street arts especially the painting ones which I find really, really creative and unique. This street art trail will definitely be added to my must-do list when I go back here.
We found a lot of iron caricatures though. Apparently there are more of this kind than the mural paintings. Blended with humor and historical facts, these drawings creatively symbolize the intimate relationship the local people have in their daily lives.
All these street arts were placed randomly. Some are located along the busy road, some are on the street corners, some are near the market, and some are placed high above the walls. So it’s a good challenge to the eyesight, and creativity on taking the shots.
See how it looks like a plain drawing on the wall, but it’s actually a welded iron standing off of it.
It’s disappointing though that since its election season in Malaysia at the time of our visit; people have put in campaign flags and ads on the steel sculptures. So although we’ve seen a lot of them, we were not able to take neat photos. Also, some murals are already faded, walls are stained, and cars are parked in front of the sites, hiding half of the caricature in sight. I wish they’d put in rules to preserve the street arts. It’s too lovely to be taken for granted.
Anyway, finding cute 3D arts from random walls is a nice twist to a normal stroll. :)
