As a popular tourist destination in Malaysia, Malacca has its own share of street arts amidst the street art craze that took Malaysia by storm. Unlike the creative 3D murals — with real-life objects embedded in them — in other old towns, such as in Penang and Ipoh, the murals in Malacca are mostly paintings and categorically more diversified.
Below are some murals around Malacca Old Town. A map is included at the end of this post.
1. Welcome to Melaka
There are probably a handful of murals with the theme "Welcome to Melaka". The large mural (below) is located along the main road leading to Dutch Square. It is the first mural that greets visitors to the historical site.
A different "Welcome to Malacca" mural is located on the wall of 906 Riverside Hotel — in fact, all external walls of the hotel are painted with murals.
2. Lorong Seni Art House
This mural is the easiest to spot when in Malacca Old Town. Despite the fact that most people do not understand this abstract artwork, the large colourful mural is still a major feat and attracts crowds, especially on weekends.
3. The Empress of China
"The Empress of China" is a new mural that is added to Lorong Seni. It features Empress Wu Zetian (portrayed by actress Fan Bingbing in a television drama).
4. The Orangutan House
"The Orangutan House" is the name of a gallery selling t-shirts with arts of local essence. It has a huge orangutan painted on its outer wall. The shop is located just across the road from Lorong Seni Art House.
The Orangutan House has a couple of other branches in the old town and on the wall of one of its branches along Jalan Tokong is this painting. It may seem like an advertisement for the shop's products but it is still a piece of art.
5. The Boat
This Chinese painting depicts workers carrying cargoes off a boat. To understand what it really means, you will need to decipher the Chinese poem.
6. Eight Running Horses
This Chinese painting of "Eight Running Horses", photographed in 2017, symbolises the seeking of success and fame. Can you see eight horses?
In May 2019, the mural had been repainted with only two horses.
So far, the murals above are standalone artworks around the old town. We will go on to areas with sheer numbers of murals.
7. Murals along River (near Old Town)
To find these murals, simply follow the river from the Dutch Square to the ferris wheel near The Shore Hotel. When mural-hunting, walking along the river bank is better than taking the river cruise.
There are so many murals along the river and you can take your picks of those you like. I will just show a small one here: Ladies in Costumes.
8. Ladies in Costumes
"Ladies in Costumes" depicts a Malay lady and a Chinese lady in their traditional costumes.
No, there is nothing wrong with your eyes nor my photo, the mural itself does look blurry — not sure if it was an intended effect or due to the weather.
9. More Murals along River (opposite ferris wheel)
Further along the river and nearer to The Shore Hotel, there is another stretch of buildings with murals. The murals here are mostly about the history of Melaka and some on Malay culture.
Don't worry about the lack of crowds in my photos, I was there on weekdays.
10. Interactive Murals Lane
Back in the old town itself, along a little back alley off Jalan Hang Kasturi, are several simple murals. These murals are intended to be interactive — visitors should pose with the artworks when taking photos. Shooting just the murals themselves does not make much sense.
In the top-right photo, the mouse-deer jumping out of a window is painted, the other two are real windows. In the bottom-right mural, the wooden barrel floating in the air doesn't make any sense unless someone is holding it. The carpenter is also sawing the wooden plank in a very odd way. Help him!
These murals require you to pose creatively! And that's the idea behind this mural lane.
Location Map
Most of the murals above are near to the river. You can use the river as a guide and hunt down all the murals outside the old town.
Check out an arty cafe: Malacca Cafe: Calanthe Art Cafe @ Melaka Old Town
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