In the UNESCO world heritage site of Georgetown, the capital of Penang, Malaysia, you will find some fantastic examples of street art around the old part of the city, particularly in Armenian Street.
Some of the paintings are the creation of Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic, whose work can also be found in New York, Dubai, Lisbon and Singapore. He was commissioned to do the paintings in 2012 as part of the Georgetown Festival. http://www.ernestzacharevic.com/
One of the most popular paintings is his ‘Children on Bicycle’. Tourists queue up all day to have their picture taken with this iconic image, which you will also find on postcards, mugs, notebooks, key rings and other souvenirs. It was just about to get dark as we took this picture, so we found a rare moment when it wasn’t occupied by someone taking a selfie.
The Boy on Chair painting can be found on Cannon Street. The chair is real giving the painting a strange 3D effect.
You will find other examples across the city, including iron work depicting its history, dragons wrapped around doorways, large murals and quirky trompe l’oeil effects – artists unknown.
Zacharevic also created the Rage Against the Machine artwork in Kuala Lumpur which can be found in the China town area of the city. Look out for it as you walk from the Pasar Seni metro station to Petaling Street.
We also spotted his work in Singapore, at the junction of Jalan Klapa and Victoria Street in Little India.
In Phuket Town, street art is also making its presence felt, albeit without drawing the crowds of Georgetown. We found these examples walking around the town.
