10 Places to See Street Art in Malaysia

Not to be confused, but there are a few terms that this form of art is being called. Most call it Street Art, while some call it Street Paintings or Street Murals. 

Today, mainly 10 cities around Malaysia host these amazing street art paintings in various locations.

Depending on where you visit Malaysia, you may encounter some of them without even trying, as they are usually located in high tourist areas.

There is also no point in telling exactly where these streets are found; if not, where’s the fun in exploring?

So, where are these places to see street art in Malaysia? The list below is in no order, and it is up to you to find them all.

Some of the interesting Penang Street Art

Especially with the help of social media, locals and foreigners were raving about it and wanting to see the art, namely to photograph and share it on their social channels.

This phenomenon sprouted nationwide interest, leading to all kinds of trick art museums, 3D museums, etc.

The Penang street art murals are cultural landmarks at various locations around the old part of George Town.

They are often crowded with constant queues of people waiting to have their photographs taken with the works, especially on the weekend.

He was commissioned to paint 6 street art pieces as part of the George Town Culture Festival in 2012.

Ernest’s style depicts scenes of everyday Malaysian life using local people as models. Among them, two extremely popular pieces have been featured the world over.

They are Children on Bicycle and Boy on Motorcycle, where a clever combination of installation and painting allows admirers to interact with the artworks. 

In February 2014, Ernest held his first solo exhibit at the Hin Bus Depot here in Penang and called it ‘Art is Rubbish is Art’. He has since travelled around the world, having exhibitions. 

This street art is also currently the largest mural ever painted in Malaysia. The painting shows an occidental man holding his hand out to feed turtles symbolizing the city’s turtle conservation plan.

One is titled Angel, and the other Riot Copboth be seen on one of the busy streets of George Town. 

Yulia has been travelling around the world, and in April 2014, she painted a photographic piece of a local boy, which can be seen at Lebuh Klang in George Town. Realistic painting is also called Photorealism. 

His work shows images of women’s faces done on a large scale which blends in with the natural environment. Overall, his awe-inspiring work was done towards the end of 2014.

The beauty of the artwork is that it is based on the local orangutan and the rainforest. Painted in early 2014, Ernest did some fantastic work sponsored by a local company.

Those exploring Kuching will have an opportunity to spot the following street art;

For extra activities when you are here, you can also find out what to do in Kuching, Sarawak.

Just after the street art boom in Penang, Melaka immediately jumped on board as tourism was, in fact, the biggest contributor to the state. 

One of the most famous ones would be that huge Orang Utan mural at the Orangutan House which has been there for ages, since around 2008/09.

The famous Orang Utan House.

The main Jonker Street or Jonker Walk area has the most murals and paintings; along the Melaka River, there are even more murals to spot.

The best way is to take the Melaka River Cruise or spot the murals by walking around this area.

Popular areas to explore are along the Melaka River, starting from the Hard Rock Cafe Melaka and around Jonker Street and Heeren Street. Check out my updated article about street art in Melaka with Samsung Galaxy.

Nostalgic moments captured the artist’s heart, and he compiled 7 pieces of his work all over Ipoh Old Town in 2014.

This campaign was also sponsored by Old Town White Coffee under the theme “The Art of Old Town”.

Kids on a Paperplane. Image from Oldtown White Coffee.

Images of the local Malaysian lifestyle were transformed into art where you see packets of iced black coffee hanging to an old man drinking a cup of hot coffee.

You can find the various Ipoh street paintings in the core of the old town area here. All you need to do is park your car and start walking around to spot these murals. 

The Sibu Municipal Council, or SMC, formed a special committee which is made up of council staff and local artists to explore modern street art paintings.

This is also a lineup to the Visit Sibu Year tourism campaign, which has been happening for a few years.  

Only a few paintings have been seen, and more will come over the next few months. However, there are a few others which are graffiti or random paintings. 

So, there are a few places around KL where you can find street art paintings. Namely around the Chinatown area or Petaling Street. There are also some around the Lebuh Ampang area as well. 

However, if you look towards the Klang River nearby, you will see a lot of Graffiti Art along the river walls. 

To say he’s made his name all over Malaysia is quite right, as Ernest has left his trademark in almost every major city here. 

The massive building art totals 2100 square feet, and Kenji used 90 spray cans over 4 days to complete his Fighting Cockerel concept.

A landmark here is the Kota Raya building; you are bound to see this huge chicken at the side of the Nando outlet.

First, where else can you find these street murals or paintings in JB? Most of them are located around the Bazaar Karat or Lorong Pasar Karat in the JB town area.

The area was also renamed Stesen Seni in 2014 and is one of the popular places to explore in Johor Bharu. 

The artist used an existing hole in the wall to create the smartphone’s image, thus giving you a 3D effect. 

Long after this, tribute versions popped up in Johor and Kuala Lumpur, while the original wall was sticker bombed with the same Lego characters.

It was held around the main commercial area of SS2, where 22 walls were selected for the artist.

A clever concept to beautify the business district, and many talented local artists took part to win part of the RM10,700 prize money.

One of the murals at the side lanes of SS2, Petaling Jaya (Image from Yeo Bee Yin).

The art competition ended with some amazing and beautiful street paintings, which have become a permanent attraction for locals and tourists.

SS2 in Petaling Jaya is a well-known food area, and there is also the ‘All You Can Eat Durians’ centre around here.

The SS2 Street Art Location Map. (Image from Says.com).

I have included a map for the SS2 Street Art as his area is way out of Kuala Lumpur, and for any tourist wanting to come here, it is a 30-45 minute drive from KL.

Once you get here, you can simply go on foot to spot the street art murals. You must walk around the main commercial area shops and use the side lanes.

The best time to go is on the weekend or early in the mornings because, after 11am, cars would be parked there, blocking your street art views.

9. Shah Alam Street Art

The council created an area for artists to show their skills at Laman Seni 7 in Section 2 of Shah Alam, Selangor.

Turning back lanes into walk-through art galleries was a big hit with the locals, where 37 art paintings are found here.

The project, which is fully funded by the Shah Alam Council, initially started in 2013 and in 2015, Laman Seni 3 will be opened in Section 3 in Shah Alam.

If you are into art and street art, Laman Seni 7 is a place worth exploring to see Malaysian artist and their creative work. You can also see more pictures of Laman Seni from Azuan Zahdi.

The street art scene or graffiti in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

While this is the last major city to embrace the street art culture, Kota Kinabalu, or KK, has yet to see any international or local artists doing proper street art paintings here.

The only prominent street art you will see is just near the Suria KK Shopping Mall, where an old abandoned building left with pillar structures and a few walls decorated with graffiti.

In general, graffiti is more acceptable here in Sabah. We feel that the Sabah Tourism Board or the Kota Kinabalu city council should invest in promoting this place using street art.

After all, KK is a walking city, and the best place to do this is around Gaya Street or Kampung Air areas of the city. Their neighbour, Sarawak, has already participated with two cities featuring street art.

Visitors taking photos of street art in Malaysia.

Some of them include Terengganu, Kelantan, Pahang, and Kedah. I am still waiting to see them, but I will update this list to add the work here when I do.

Please share the information with me if you have seen any new cities or towns that feature beautiful street art. And just a reminder that street art is not graffiti.

These are 10 places to see street art in Malaysia, compiled exclusively for those who love this art form. This article was written by David from Malaysia Asia, who travels all over Malaysia for work.

Most information is sourced from various websites, blogs and portals, and credit goes back to them. Thanks to Says.com, AzuanZahdi.com, Yeo Bee Yin, StreetArtNews.com, Kenji Chai, Ipoh Old Town Coffee and TheStar for the resources.

Not one of those online writers who sit in the office all day scraping content and re-writing them for their lifestyle portals, and most of the time, wrong information or just surface general information.

If there are other places where street art can be found, please share it in the comment form below, and I will gladly edit it in this article.

And there are also several 3D Art Museums and Trick Art Museums mushrooming around the country.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the 10 places to see street art in Malaysia, and if you visit any of them, take some great photos.