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PENANG
227
June15
Art: Marking Georgetown
Street art has flourished in Penang since artist Ernest Zacharevic was
commissioned in 2012 to liven up the streets with a few larger-than-life murals.
Other artists have since joined the trend, with more than 20 scenes adding
character to external walls. Armed with only a map, my nine-year-old son joined
the dots between murals and led us on a walking tour to discover them all,
with a few stops for food, temples, the Clan Jetties, mosques, and shopping
along the way.
There are also 52 black iron sculptures dotted against the building walls,
each one relaying a tale of Penang history or culture. This one (
above
) tells
the story of the local noodle dish known as
tok tok mee
, which took its name
from the hawkers’ habit in days gone by of knocking bamboo sticks together
to draw attention to their stall.
Our three favourite street murals:
Kungfu Girl, Lebuh Muntri
The Indian Boatman, Lorong Stewart
Kids on Bicycle, Gat Le Armenian
Old Motorcycle, Lebuh Ah Quee