Garish graffiti has been spray-painted subsequent to Penang island’s culturally important murals throughout the Unesco heritage enclave. PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
PENANG – The heritage enclave in George City, Penang, is called a spot for stunning artwork. Now, there are ugly warts.
The zone is below assault by graffiti artists, who’ve spray-painted drawings of rotting molars, canine heads with tongues protruding and grotesque lettering that’s tough to learn.
The garish graffiti has been spray-painted subsequent to Penang island’s culturally important murals throughout the Unesco heritage enclave.
READ: Penang: A haven for city sketchers
The native authorities are asking constructing homeowners to pay for the price of erasing the graffiti.
“This will likely be a unending story,” stated Mr Mano Cheang, who owns a heritage shophouse within the coronary heart of George City.
“We simply painted the wall and somebody sprayed it with a design. Then Penang Island Metropolis Council (MBPP) despatched us a discover ordering us to repaint the wall.”
His shophouse is an end-lot with an exterior wall by the highway, a canvas seemingly irresistible to graffiti artists.
READ: George City, Penang: A feast for the eyes and soul
“I met representatives of the MBPP Heritage Division and was instructed I needed to white out the graffiti as a result of it was my duty because the proprietor of a heritage property,” he stated.
State tourism and inventive economic system committee chairman Wong Hon Wai stated that when each nook has a mural, avenue artwork can lose its influence and turn out to be cliched.
“Murals work finest after they have a powerful idea, inform a narrative and are culturally important, moderately than simply being ornamental,” stated Mr Wong. “To deal with this situation, there could possibly be different public artwork areas, like container artwork, set up artwork, interactive installations, digital projections or performance-based avenue artwork.”
Mr Wong stated there are 57 permitted murals in George City, all of which adhere to pointers.
He stated the authorised murals assist promote the cultural heritage of the town and play a pivotal position in tourism, bringing financial profit to native companies.
Primarily based on an MBPP survey performed between 2023 and February 2025, there have been 69 unlawful murals and graffiti items painted throughout the heritage zone.
Penang Artwork Society adviser Ch’ng Huck Theng stated there’s a distinction between graffiti and avenue murals.
Graffiti, he stated, is usually considered the “signature” of an artist, and such items are considered acts of vandalism by native authorities by-laws.
“What the state can present is a public place for avenue artists to specific themselves,” stated Datuk Ch’ng. “It needs to be a spot with loads of footfall, like a again lane off a well-liked avenue with sufficient wall house for about 20 items of avenue artwork.”
He added: “Measurement is vital so be sure there may be house for life-sized work.”
Mr Ch’ng stated the artwork will be whited out after a month or so to make method for the creation of latest works. “There are a lot of locations on this planet authorised by native authorities that maintain hundreds of avenue artwork items, comparable to in Melbourne, and artists even paint on the walkways.
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“Penang took the lead in outside artwork and might take it to the following part,” he added.
