Container murals a new towering sight

A new ‘consignment’ of art installations has arrived in Penang. The heritage city known internationally for its charming murals now hosts an interesting batch painted on elevated shipping containers. The painting of a trishaw rider in front of Prangin Mall is the first mural to mark the Penang International Container art Festival.

GEORGE TOWN: The city noted for its iconic wall murals is now set to make waves with shipping container murals.

Two murals, one depicting a trishaw man on one side of a stack of shipping containers and a woman painting on a batik cloth on the other side, have become the latest attraction in the Unesco World Heritage site.

The art installation located in front of Prangin Mall in Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong here is expected to draw locals and tourists alike to pose for photos or selfies.

The “container murals” are among several that will be featured at various locations around the state in conjunction with the Penang International Container Art Festival until May.

Festival director Tan Chor Whye said besides the completed ones at Prangin Mall, the other murals in progress, each measuring about 10m high, could be found at Karpal Singh Drive and Balik Pulau on Penang island, as well as Aspen Vision City in Batu Kawan and Dataran Pemuda Merdeka in Butterworth on the mainland.

He said all the artwork would be completed by seven Malaysian artists and five of their counterparts from Russia, Canada, the Netherlands and Ukraine.

The eye-catching art, conceptualised by Penang Global Tourism and Can Can Public Art Team, is aimed at revitalising the neighbourhoods in Penang and boosting tourism, he explained.