GEORGE TOWN, Sept 25 — Three of Ernest Zacharevic’s iconic murals in Penang will be restored to its original condition this week.
The Lithuanian artist has already started work repairing the broken parts of the bicycle and motorcycle for the murals, “Children On Bicycle” and “Boy on Motorcycle”, last week.
“We started preparation works last week and worked on some of the repairs on the bicycle and the motorbike,” Zacharevic told Malay Mail when met during the process here.
He said it will take him about a week to complete restoring three of his famed murals located along Cannon Street (Boy on Chair), Armenian Street (Children on Bicycle) and Ah Quee Street (Boy on Motorcycle).
Zacharevic was commissioned by the state government to restore the murals after repeated calls from the public to preserve the murals that had placed Penang on the world map for its contemporary street art.
After the restoration works, the artist plans to hold a retrospective exhibition of the murals he painted in Penang that catapulted him to international fame.
“The exhibition will be held at my studio in Malay Street for two months from October 18,” he said.
The exhibition, yet to be titled, will feature all of his murals in Penang and the restoration works on the three murals.
This is not the first time Zacharevic restored the murals as he had restored them back in 2016 and then again in 2019, he restored Children on Bicycle after it was vandalised.
Penang tourism and creative economy committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said the murals have become internationally recognised symbols of Penang’s vibrant street art scene and cultural heritage.
The murals, painted as part of the art programmes of George Town Festival 2012, have since become landmarks in George Town and have remained popular tourist spots till today.
“The murals have naturally weathered over the years and many residents and visitors have expressed concern over their gradual deterioration,” Wong said.
Prior to 2012, though George Town was inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, Armenian Street was a quiet narrow alley within the heritage site.
However, after 2012, it became a busy street teeming with tourists, often with a long queue of visitors waiting for their turn to take a photo with the Children on Bicycle mural.
“Ernest Zacharevic’s contribution has had a lasting impact on Penang, and we are confident that the restored murals will continue to inspire visitors from all over the world,” Wong said.
He hoped the restoration project will encourage more artists, both local and international, to contribute to Penang’s thriving arts scene, allowing our city to remain a canvas for creativity.
