Ernest Zacharevic has painted some beautiful murals in George Town to help put the state capital of Penang on the map as the street art capital of Malaysia. Photos by Buenos Aires Street Art.
Iconic mural by Ernest Zacharevic in George Town, Penang (photo © BA Street Art)
The Lithuanian street artist visited Malaysia in 2012 as a backpacker and was commissioned by the Penang Tourist Board to create murals on six walls in places of historical interest around the city for the George Town Festival. Ernest, together with the gang at Hin Bus Depot, also started to organise gallery shows and murals around the city together with local curator Tan Chor Whye.
Thanks to Ernest and other international and local street artists, George Town is now on the map as much for its murals as for its colonial architecture and being a World Heritage Site. Ernest has been back and forth to paint more than a dozen murals as part of the Mirrors George Town project.
Ernest Zacharevic – ‘Little Children on a Bicycle’ (photo © BA Street Art)
Ernest Zacharevic’s best-known mural in George Town is called ‘Little Children on a Bicycle‘ on Armenian Street. Several other murals he has painted adorn the narrow streets and alleyways of George Town. The artworks have even become part of an urban art trail with tourists having a great time exploring the city and photographing his interventions that have been made with bicycles, motorbikes, chairs and furniture.
Motorbike mural on Lebuh Ah Quee Street, George Town (photo © BA Street Art)
Another of Ernest’s most iconic murals is called ‘Boy on a Bike’ on Lebuh Ah Quee Street. Love the relationship between the boy with helmet painted on the old door and the juxtaposition with a real motorbike.
Mural by Ernest Zacharevic on Cannon Street (photo © BA Street Art)
This artwork called ‘Reaching Up’ by Ernest on Cannon Street features a boy reaching up towards a window.
Mural by Ernest Zacharevic on Muntri Street (photo © BA Street Art)
A large scale mural called ‘Little Girl in Blue’ by Ernest can be found on Muntri Street showing the youngster holding herself up by her hands on top of two windows.
Mural by Ernest Zacharevic featuring a rickshaw (photo © BA Street Art)
‘The Awaiting Trishaw Pedaler’ on Penang Street is another mural by Ernest created during Mirrors George Town project.
Artwork depicting children playing basketball (photo © BA Street Art)
On the other side of Gat Guilia Street is an artwork featuring kids jumping with a ball under a basketball hoop.
Brother and Sister on a Swing’ by Louis Gan (photo © BA Street Art)
Louis Gan, a local deaf-mute self-taught artist, is also well-known for his artworks around the city including this one on the wall of a printing warehouse along Step by Step Lane.
‘I want Pau’ ‘ artwork on Armenian Street (photo © BA Street Art)
This artwork called ‘I want Pau’ ‘ outside a pastry shop along Armenian Street makes a fun play with kids reaching for dim sum inside some bamboo steam pots.
‘Fortune Cat’ on Armenian Street (photo © BA Street Art)
‘Fortune Cat‘ on Armenian Street – one of 12 cat murals painted under the 101 Lost Kittens project to create awareness about stray and abandoned animals
Cat mural by ASA (Artists for Stray Animals) along Armenian Street (photo © BA Street Art)
Armenian Street is one of the best spots to see street art including this artwork entitled ‘Skippy Comes to Penang‘ of a giant cat painted by ASA (Artists for Stray Animals).
Mural called ‘Wo Ai Nee Malay Indian’ on Armenian St (photo © BA Street Art)
The ‘Wo Ai Nee Malay Indian’ mural along Armenian Street on wall of the I-Box Museum of Glass depicts a Chinese, a Malay and an Indian girl in elaborate dresses.
Artwork signed ‘Penang I-Wall’ (photo © BA Street Art)
Another mural on the facade of the I-Box Museum of Glass features a peering boy painted in a similar style to a Manga comic.
Mural by Simon Tan (photo © BA Street Art)
More street art can be found around the docks area and Chew Jetty. This artwork entitled ‘Amah and Asoon‘ is one of several painted by local artist Simon Tan.
Mural by U.S. artist Elle (photo © BA Street Art)
In the last few years, many foreign street artists have come to town. This mural on Bawasah Street was painted by New York-based artist Elle in November 2014 and organised by Hin Bus Depot for the project Urban Xchange.
Mural by Karl Addison in parking lot (photo © BA Street Art)
Karl Addison (Germany) was also invited to take part in Urban Xchange and painted this large scale mural in a parking lot on Beach Street.
Mural by Fauzan Fuad (photo © BA Street Art)
Local Malaysian artist Fauzan Fuad has also painted a mural in the same parking lot for Urban Xchange featuring a boat filled with surreal characters and creatures. It also has the phrase in Malay ‘selaut dahulu menerbang kemudian’ written on the side of the boat meaning ‘float first, fly later’.
Indian boatman by Julia Volchkova on Lebuh Klang Street (photo © BA Street Art)
Russian street artist Julia Volchkova has now visited twice and completed this mural of an Indian boatman in 2015 next to gift shop 5.4 degrees north on Lebuh Klang Street.
Mural by Ricky Lee Gordon (photo © BA Street Art)
South African artist Ricky Lee Gordon visited Malaysia in 2017 and painted this beautiful mural relating to nature on the facade of this building.
Mural by Canadian artist Emmanuel Jarus (photo © BA Street Art)
Canadian street artist Emmanuel Jarus came to Penang in 2017 and painted this colourful mural of a boy eating a bowl of chendol that is a traditional dessert in Malaysia. It can be found above the ‘Famous Teochew Chendul’ restaurant on Penang Road.
Mural by Color Fighter off Chulia St (photo © BA Street Art)
Graffiti artist and music producer Color Fighter painted a cool tiger mural in an alleyway just off Chulia Street. The artwork features a resting tiger. In 2012, it was estimated that there are less than 150 tigers in the wild in Malaysia due to loss of habitat and hunting.
Artwork by Bronik (photo © BA Street Art)
Peruvian street artist Bronik has also been to Penang and left this cool artwork of a girl with an umbrella next to this local store. We’ve also photographed street art by Bronik in Barcelona.
Also check out some murals that Buenos Aires Street Art helped organise for Argentine street artist Martin Ron with Hin Bus depot in George Town in collaboration with Ernest Zacharevic and a in Butterworth, Penang here.
This post was updated in 2018 on another trip to George Town to include more recent murals painted around the city.
All photos © Buenos Aires Street Art
