PENANG – The heritage enclave in George Town, Penang, is known as a place for beautiful art. Now, there are ugly warts.
The zone is under attack by graffiti artists, who have spray-painted drawings of rotting molars, dog heads with tongues sticking out and grotesque lettering that is difficult to read.
The garish graffiti has been spray-painted next to Penang island’s culturally significant murals within the Unesco heritage enclave,
The local authorities are asking building owners to pay for the cost of erasing the graffiti.
“This will be a never-ending story,” said Mr Mano Cheang, who owns a heritage shophouse in the heart of George Town.
“We just painted the wall and someone sprayed it with a design. Then Penang Island City Council (MBPP) sent us a notice ordering us to repaint the wall.”
His shophouse is an end-lot with an exterior wall by the road, a canvas seemingly irresistible to graffiti artists.
“I met representatives of the MBPP Heritage Department and was told I had to white out the graffiti because it was my responsibility as the owner of a heritage property,” he said.
State tourism and creative economy committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said that when every corner has a mural, street art can lose its impact and become cliched.
“Murals work best when they have a strong concept, tell a story and are culturally significant, rather than just being decorative,” said Mr Wong.
“To handle this issue, there could be other public art spaces, like container art, installation art, interactive installations, digital projections or performance-based street art.”
Mr Wong said there are 57 permitted murals in George Town, all of which adhere to guidelines.
He said the approved murals help promote the cultural heritage of the city and play a pivotal role in tourism, bringing economic benefit to local businesses.
Based on an MBPP survey conducted between 2023 and February 2025, there have been 69 illegal murals and graffiti pieces painted within the heritage zone.
Penang Art Society adviser Ch’ng Huck Theng said there is a difference between graffiti and street murals.
Graffiti, he said, is sometimes regarded as the “signature” of an artist, and such pieces are regarded as acts of vandalism by local government by-laws.
“What the state can provide is a public place for street artists to express themselves,” said Datuk Ch’ng.
“It should be a place with plenty of footfall, like a back lane off a popular street with enough wall space for about 20 pieces of street art.”
He added: “Size is important so make sure there is space for life-sized paintings.”
Mr Ch’ng said the art can be whited out after a month or so to make way for the creation of new works.
“There are many places in the world approved by local authorities that hold thousands of street art pieces, such as in Melbourne, and artists even paint on the walkways.
“Penang took the lead in outdoor art and can take it to the next phase,” he added. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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