Tourists taking photos on George Town’s Armenian Street with a mural called I Want Bao by Kuala Lumpur-born artist WK Setor on the side wall of a pastry shop. Photo: Alamy
How Penang’s art scene was killed by Instagram tourists and gentrification, sparked by a single mural
- The street art revolution that transformed the Malaysian island into a celebrated artistic hub has also caused the downfall of its arts scene
- George Town, the island’s capital, is now full of Instagram tourists, hipsters and businesses that cater to them, warping the soul of the town
Topic |
Malaysia
Tourists taking photos on George Town’s Armenian Street with a mural called I Want Bao by Kuala Lumpur-born artist WK Setor on the side wall of a pastry shop. Photo: Alamy
A sketch from Sumona Chakravarty’s series ‘30 Days of Curfew’, which imagines how her hometown of Kolkata in India would be if it was under lockdown and curfew like Kashmir. Photo: Instagram/@sumonach
Imagine your city under a 30-day curfew – Instagram artist reacts to Kashmir lockdown
- No phones, no internet, no flights out, her home a prison – Sumona Chakravarty visualises how her city, Kolkata, would look if faced with situation in Kashmir
- Indian government ended self-government there and shut down communications. Her sketches are a potent reflection on residents’ feelings of trauma and isolation
Topic |
Kashmir
A sketch from Sumona Chakravarty’s series ‘30 Days of Curfew’, which imagines how her hometown of Kolkata in India would be if it was under lockdown and curfew like Kashmir. Photo: Instagram/@sumonach