Over the last two centuries, Penang—the island—has cemented itself as a picturesque holiday destination for both Malaysians and foreign tourists. Selling itself with its almost dreamlike sunsets and a slew of grand and palatial resorts, Penang morphed into becoming just that: a destination for fiendish foodies and a temporary, transient space for holidaymakers. But to look at Penang through such a lens would be reductive. The island holds so much more than just good Char Kway Teow and horseback riding on the beach as the sun sets. Penang has also given us some of the greatest creative minds to come from Malaysia. Take Han Chong, for example.
In a 2016 interview with Vogue Hong Kong, the founder and creative director of Self-Portrait gave a little insight into his childhood in his hometown of Penang, explaining, “Growing up in Penang, there weren’t a lot of big events, so Lunar New Year was always a big deal”. His words echoed with a sentiment only true, born and bred Penang islanders could comprehend. But to those on the outside, spectators looking in, Penang has always and will always be this great booming city that hosts a litany of events and markets, restaurants, cafes, hawker shops and art spaces. Even in its “overhyped” air, many still flock to the island. The island, from the perspective of the onlooker, is alive and breathing.
It continues to anthropomorphise, shape-shifting and metamorphosising from a singing siren to a pastoral membrane canvas, one living and housing various organisms. Business owners and local heritage keepers sprawl all over the island. But the one common inhabitant that one can find at every corner of this beach town is the creative. Adventurous, willing to try something new at every turn, ever-changing but ultimately magnificent in staying true to their vision and intent.
It would make so much sense that Penang has become a host for so many creative individuals. If the state isn’t producing the creative itself, it is beckoning creative types to flock to it. It is as though the island has a big neon sign attached to it, reading: “Art Thrives Here! Creativity Welcome!”. Artists, fashion designers, third-generation rattan weavers, street artists, poets, mural artists, embroiderers, chefs, singers, actors, and the like.
Paalan, Artist
Banking on that, I decided to take the Penang tourist path less travelled and turned to Paalan. I first met Theyvapaalan S. Jayaratnam at a Cult Gallery vernissage in Bukit Tunku. I had always known of her creative work. They were conceptual pieces rooted in her identity as a Tamil artist. Her artistic endeavours centred around performance, photography, and film, thus creating a mosaic of individual pieces coming together to narrate the politics of desire for the Tamil transgender experience. She spent a whopping eighteen years on the island before migrating to Singapore for her first adult job with the country’s airline. “Penang is where a large chunk of my work begins. More so the ones anchored in introspection”, she writes to me in an email. She now subsists in Kuala Lumpur with her doting mother.
Navigating the island of Penang from memory, she lists down a slew of places and things to do there. For starters, if you’re really into sunsets, you can “Catch it at Penang Hill. Bring a Yoga mat to roll around in as you bask in the dissipating heat of the day or stretch to some sun salutations. It has some of the best views on the island.” The additional suggestions include hiking or taking a boat to Monkey Beach as it makes a great date spot. Then, once you’re done, travel to the Pulau Tikus Market for some Siam Laksa and Bubur Chacha for dessert. “With full bellies”, she writes, “Head on over to Antarabangsa and just wander around with no set intention. This is the best way to discover new things to do.” Should you get peckish, she suggests dropping by Vegan Falafel Place for some of the best falafels in the city. If you’re yearning for something heftier, the Old Trafford Burger Stall is just a few shop lots away.
Kangblabla, Artist
Next, I prompted Trina Teoh, a known text artist on the literal streets of George Town. She led me to Julius Raja Manickam, or as he is more commonly known online, Kangblabla. Turning thirty-six this year, the artist’s primary practice focuses on what he calls Kebab Toys-wooden assembly toys that feature characters from the multiverse that he has created. Though not born on the island, this year marks the artist’s tenth year living there, citing, “I must say, I have thoroughly enjoyed my decision to move away from KL.”
Kangblabla began creating his world of characters at the young age of five years old. As he stepped into his adult years, he took on a graphic design position in KL before quitting the job to pursue his life as an artist. He explains in his e-mail: “I couldn’t continue living someone else’s dreams, so I decided to invest in mine.” Finding a sense of self and community on the island, he recommends Narrow Marrow as a place where one should definitely visit. “It’s a place I call my second home, a place that cemented my decision to move to Penang. The energy of the place is as real as it gets. It can’t be faked.”
Antoine Loncle, Photographer
The other individual that Trina had led me to was Antoine Loncle, a twenty-nine-year-old photographer and artist specialising in analogue and alternative processes, operating out of his atelier in Hin Bus Depot. Born and bred on the island, Loncle pursued a career in photography, one that began when he was seventeen years old, where he was tasked with photographing a music festival. Over time, Loncle began refining his interest in photography and began using film and developing an alternative process that he employs in his artwork.
Whilst the island has become second nature to him, explaining that “The whole ‘Penang’ experience is maybe something that I’ve become accustomed to or perhaps take for granted”. The photographer still has some interesting recommendations. For those looking out for coffee, Loncle recommends Ome by Spacebar Coffee, a space he regards as having the best coffee on the island. For a regular, budget option, he recommends coffee from the regular Kopitiam. For art novices and connoisseurs alike, consider visiting the Hin Bus Depot Gallery and Blank Canvas. For those interested in street artwork, Cultprint would be a good place to indulge in that. Loncle explains, “The art scene here is pretty diverse, where the modern and traditional works of art interact with one another all across the island.”
Alicia, Pizza Shop Owner
The last creative people that I had spoken to, I had met in passing in 2023. On a spur visit to Hin Bus Depot on a Sunday, I had incidentally ordered -what I consider to be -the best pizza in the whole of West Malaysia. In 2024, when I returned to Penang, I made it a personal mission of mine to introduce myself to the humble pizza maker. As I spoke to one of the owners of The Cappuccio, I became acquainted with Alicia. Alicia happened to be firing pizzas that day as her husband was recovering from the flu. The Cappuccio had been the inception of Massimo Cappuccio, an Italian chef born in Napoli. He began his career in several Italian restaurants, then traversing across the UK and Europe and followed his friends to Asia, leading him to Thailand, where he remained for thirty years.
This was where he met his wife, Alicia. A year into the pandemic, they moved to Penang and started selling pizzas at Hin Bus Depot on Sundays. Food recommendations from the duo include Pasembur and Char Kway Teow from the Batu Lancang market. On the occasion, the duck meat Kway Teow Soup from Cecil Street Market hits the spot.
After long conversations with the artists, those who dabble in the visual sense and the edible, I began to rethink my view of Penang. I realised that no matter how close I was to the island, and no matter how many memories solidified into familiarity, I could not morph myself into someone who understands the island like the locals do. I was the outsider looking in. But I now have some new things to try on the island. Won’t you?
This story first appeared in the GRAZIA Malaysia March 2025 issue.
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