In January 2024 we visited Penang in Malaysia as part of a 4 month trip around Asia. We were in Penang to take part in a 'worldschool' meet up with other families. One of the activities we did together was visit a place called 'The Bus Depot' which was an old bus depot made into a market and art's hang out. It was so cool!

There were lots of outdoor activities including games to play, walls to create chalk art, lots of crafting activities to take part in (mainly for free). 

In the entrance of the depot there was an exhibition which had the theme of 'pollution'. Some of the art was paintings of polluted seas full of trash (something we have seen in real life in Thailand and Vietnam) and other art was made out of actual pieces of rubbish.

We looked at the art for quite a long time because it was very detailed and I enjoyed looking at the pictures made of trash because they look different close up to how they look far away. Close up they are just plastic and wire... far away they are amazing pictures!

 

My favourite piece of art from the Art is Rubbish, Rubbish is Art exhibition was this one which has lots of trash in bound together (which was pulled from the sea in Penang) and then the painting behind it shows two young kids trying to swim amongst the trash!

 Outside of the Bus Station the whole of the area of Georgetown in Penang is FULL of amazing Street Art. Literally everywhere you look there is something on a wall, on a floor, in a doorway.... and it is all so good! I think it must be really hard to create art on a wall! Here are some of my favourites but there are hundreds and I can not share them all. One good tip I have is to pick up the Art Map which is free and it shows you were to find some of the more famous street art but also to keep your eyes open as you walk around as we found a lot more than was on the map.