Street Art in Penang 槟城街头艺术

2024年5月25日， 星期六，马来西亚归来第7天 – Saturday, May 25, 2024, the 7th day after returning from Malaysia

槟城的街头艺术是这座马来西亚岛屿城市的文化标志之一，特别是在乔治市，这里的街头艺术以其创意和历史性的表现形式闻名。从2012年开始，当地政府为了庆祝乔治市被列为世界文化遗产，委托了国际艺术家在城市的墙面上创作壁画，这些壁画迅速成为城市的标志性景观。这些街头艺术作品通常描绘当地的生活场景、历史故事和社会议题，通过艺术家独特的视角讲述了槟城的历史和文化。其中最著名的艺术家是立陶宛籍的Ernest Zacharevic，他在槟城的多处墙面上创作了一系列生动有趣的壁画。

Street art in Penang is one of the cultural icons of this Malaysian island city, especially in George Town, where street art is renowned for its creative and historical expressions. Starting from 2012, to celebrate George Town being listed as a World Cultural Heritage site, the local government commissioned international artists to create murals on the city’s walls, which quickly became iconic sights of the city.

These street art pieces often depict local life scenes, historical stories, and social issues, telling the history and culture of Penang through the unique perspectives of the artists. The most famous among these artists is Lithuanian-born Ernest Zacharevic, who created a series of vivid and interesting murals on various walls in Penang.

我想在这里稍微集合一下拍到的这些艺术作品，以此纪念我俩在槟城的3个月生活。

In this post, I am featuring some of the artistic works we photographed here to commemorate our three-month life in Penang; and also feature PJG as part of the famous works.

这是最著名的壁画之一，“追风少年”，2012年立陶宛艺术家Ernest Zacharevic 创作。这幅壁画描绘了一个小男孩在骑着一辆精心绘制的摩托车的形象，摩托车是真实的，而男孩是画在墙上的。这种结合了真实物体与绘画的创作手法，不仅给壁画增加了立体感，同时也赋予了作品一种互动性和趣味性。

This is one of the most famous murals, “Boy on a Bike,” created by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic in 2012. The mural depicts a young boy riding a meticulously painted motorcycle. The motorcycle is real, while the boy is painted on the wall. This creative approach, combining real objects with painting, not only adds a three-dimensional effect to the mural but also gives the work a sense of interactivity and fun.

这个也是知名作品之一，“姐弟共骑”，也是由立陶宛艺术家Ernest Zacharevic 在2012年为“Mirrors George Town”街头艺术节所创作的。这幅壁画描绘了一对姐弟俩骑着一辆老式自行车的生动场景，其中自行车是真实的，而小孩是绘制在墙面上的。这幅作品位于槟城的亚美尼亚街，已经成为槟城最具标志性的街头艺术之一。画中的姐姐坐在车座上，弟弟则站在车前，两人面带微笑，仿佛正在愉快地进行一场小冒险。这幅作品不仅捕捉了童年时代的无忧无虑和快乐时光，还体现了家庭间的亲密与乐趣。

This is also one of the well-known works, “Children on a Bicycle,” also created by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic in 2012 for the “Mirrors George Town” street art festival. The mural vividly depicts a pair of siblings riding an old-fashioned bicycle. The bicycle is real, while the children are painted on the wall. Located on Armenian Street in Penang, this work has become one of the most iconic street art pieces in Penang and is featured on many tourist articles in the gift shops. The sister and brother are painted to sit on the seat. Both have smiles on their faces, as if they are happily embarking on a little adventure. This work not only captures the carefree and joyful times of childhood but also reflects the intimacy and fun within a family.

“兄妹荡秋千”是另一幅颇具人气的壁画，由马来西亚本地艺术家Louis Gan创作于2012年。这幅作品位于槟城的Chulia Street夜市附近，与Ernest Zacharevic的作品风格相似，也融合了实体元素与壁画。
这幅壁画描绘了一对兄妹正在玩耍荡秋千的场景，妹妹坐在秋千上，兄长则在一旁推她。秋千是实际安装在墙上的，而孩子们则是绘制在墙面上。这种结合实体与绘画的互动手法，增添了作品的立体感和参与感，使得观者仿佛可以进入画中与孩子们一同游戏。

“Children on a Swing” is another popular mural, created by Malaysian local artist Louis Gan in 2012. Located near the Chulia Street Night Market in Penang, this work is similar in style to Ernest Zacharevic’s, also combining physical elements with the mural. The painting depicts a pair of siblings playing on a swing. The sister sits on the swing, while the brother pushes her from the side. The swing is actually installed on the wall, while the children are painted on the surface. This interactive approach of combining physical objects with painting adds a three-dimensional feel and a sense of participation to the work, making viewers feel as if they can enter the painting and play with the children.

PJG making a fool of himself.

除了壁画，槟城街头艺术还包括一系列铁丝雕塑，也是一个独特的公共艺术计划，旨在通过街头雕塑讲述乔治市的历史和文化故事。这个项目也是为了庆祝乔治市被联合国教科文组织列为世界文化遗产，而特别启动的一部分公共艺术展示。这些铁丝雕塑由本地艺术家创作，每一件作品都在铁丝上细致地勾勒出槟城的历史人物、传统职业或日常生活场景。雕塑通常安装在市区的墙壁上，通过幽默而富有创意的方式展现槟城的城市传说和往日生活，使得这些故事和人物得以活灵活现地呈现在公众面前。

In addition to murals, Penang street art also includes a series of wire sculptures, which is a unique public art project aimed at telling the historical and cultural stories of George Town through street sculptures. This project was also specially launched as part of the public art display to celebrate George Town being listed as a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO. These wire sculptures are created by local artists, with each work meticulously depicting historical figures, traditional occupations, or daily life scenes of Penang on wire. The sculptures are usually installed on walls in the city center, presenting Penang’s urban legends and past life in a humorous and creative way, bringing these stories and characters vividly to the public.

在槟城的街头，我俩所见所摄，仅是浩瀚艺术宇宙中的一粒尘埃。这些墙面上的画作，经历了十余年岁月的风霜，色彩已不再鲜艳，线条略显模糊。然而，这份由时间雕琢出的朴素与沧桑，反而增添了作品的故事感，使它们在历史的长河中愈发显得珍贵而独特。

On the streets of Penang, what we saw and photographed is just a speck of dust in the vast universe of art. These paintings on the walls have experienced more than a decade of weathering. The colors are no longer vibrant, and the lines are slightly blurred. However, this simplicity carved by time add a sense of story to the works, making them even more precious and unique in the long river of history.

这些街头艺术如同城市的记忆碎片，镶嵌在每一块老旧的砖墙上，诉说着过往。它们让乔治市的街道变成了流动的画廊，每一幅作品都是一个停留的理由。在这里，艺术不仅是观赏的对象，更是生活的一部分，悄悄地诉说着槟城的故事，把这座城市的灵魂描绘得淋漓尽致。走在这些充满魅力的街头，我们仿佛可以听到时间的声音，感受到城市的呼吸。每一次驻足，都是与槟城深入对话的时刻，也是深刻地留在了我俩的记忆里。

These street art pieces are like fragments of the city’s memory, embedded in every old brick wall, telling the stories of the past. They transform the streets of George Town into a flowing gallery, with each work being a reason to linger. Here, art is not only an object of appreciation but also a part of life, quietly narrating the stories of Penang and vividly portraying the soul of this city. Walking on these charming streets, we seem to hear the sound of time and feel the breath of the city. Every pause is a moment of deep dialogue with Penang, and it is also deeply etched in our memories of this trip.