Penang’s street art in Georgetown
When we are on vacation in our own country, it is nice to go to all the tourist attractions. So we did that in Penang. On an early Sunday morning, we walked a mapped out route to search for the street art in Georgetown.
Ernest Zacharevic
In February, I already wrote a blog about the murals in Penang. Later I found out that we had missed a lot of artworks and so there was a lot more to see than what we had come across. The Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic painted six works of art in Georgetown, but you can find way more art pieces. With a special street art route, we started looking for them.
The Prestige
Because we wanted to avoid missing paintings this time, we read a lot of blogs about street art in Penang. We saw the most beautiful pictures and wondered why we had overlooked them the first time. Our walk started at the hotel ‘The Prestige’, and we needed the map for the right route. Because of all the articles, we had certain expectations of the paintings. On pictures, it all looked so beautiful, lots of details and colors, and untouched. On our search, it was sometimes quite disappointing what we saw. Faded art, disappeared art, and even murals that have sprayed with graffiti.
Coffee shops
Even though it was quite a search now and then, especially when you are looking for a picture and it looks very different in real life, it was still a nice walk. We walked through small streets where we had never been before, and we became quite fanatic in finding the right mural. I found it a cozy morning, the feeling of all together looking for art and encountering much more than you expect on the way. On the way, we also came across enough coffee shops where you can sit outside with a cappuccino and a fresh croissant. I’m already looking forward to the next time we can walk around here.
Corona
At the beginning of February, the first corona cases were already in Malaysia. Although in the south of Penang, we did not notice much of this. There were a lot of tourists, there was no distance, and we had never heard of a mask. The only moment we saw that there was a pandemic was in the harbor. We were on the boat to Langkawi when a huge cruise ship anchored, and hundreds of people came out of here. All these people had to be scanned for temperature before entering the mainland.
Children on Bicycle
Now, half a year later, Penang looks very different. There are no international tourists anymore, and it is only for two months possible to travel ‘interstate’. During the lockdown, this was not allowed, and everyone had to stay in their province. At least domestic travel is allowed again, and you hear that people are going out a bit more. In Penang, the difference between a few months ago was huge. In February, everyone was waiting to take a picture with ‘Children on Bicycle’, and now we were the only ones, and we could take our time to take out our photo camera. The fact that there are hardly any more tourists is immediately visible in the shops. Most souvenir stores are closed, and if only temporarily?
Penang’s street art in Georgetown
When we are on vacation in our own country, it is nice to go to all the tourist attractions. So we did that in Penang. On an early Sunday morning, we walked a mapped out route to search for the street art in Georgetown.
Ernest Zacharevic
In February, I already wrote a blog about the murals in Penang. Later I found out that we had missed a lot of artworks and so there was a lot more to see than what we had come across. The Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic painted six works of art in Georgetown, but you can find way more art pieces. With a special street art route, we started looking for them.
Corona
At the beginning of February, the first corona cases were already in Malaysia. Although in the south of Penang, we did not notice much of this. There were a lot of tourists, there was no distance, and we had never heard of a mask. The only moment we saw that there was a pandemic was in the harbor. We were on the boat to Langkawi when a huge cruise ship anchored, and hundreds of people came out of here. All these people had to be scanned for temperature before entering the mainland.
Children on Bicycle
Now, half a year later, Penang looks very different. There are no international tourists anymore, and it is only for two months possible to travel ‘interstate’. During the lockdown, this was not allowed, and everyone had to stay in their province. At least domestic travel is allowed again, and you hear that people are going out a bit more. In Penang, the difference between a few months ago was huge. In February, everyone was waiting to take a picture with ‘Children on Bicycle’, and now we were the only ones, and we could take our time to take out our photo camera. The fact that there are hardly any more tourists is immediately visible in the shops. Most souvenir stores are closed, and if only temporarily?
The Prestige
Because we wanted to avoid missing paintings this time, we read a lot of blogs about street art in Penang. We saw the most beautiful pictures and wondered why we had overlooked them the first time. Our walk started at the hotel ‘The Prestige’, and we needed the map for the right route. Because of all the articles, we had certain expectations of the paintings. On pictures, it all looked so beautiful, lots of details and colors, and untouched. On our search, it was sometimes quite disappointing what we saw. Faded art, disappeared art, and even murals that have sprayed with graffiti.
Coffee shops
Even though it was quite a search now and then, especially when you are looking for a picture and it looks very different in real life, it was still a nice walk. We walked through small streets where we had never been before, and we became quite fanatic in finding the right mural. I found it a cozy morning, the feeling of all together looking for art and encountering much more than you expect on the way. On the way, we also came across enough coffee shops where you can sit outside with a cappuccino and a fresh croissant. I’m already looking forward to the next time we can walk around here.
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