Happy hunting for ‘sad art' in George Town

The Star

24-05-2025

Hidden in plain sight: One of the tiny figures seen (pic, right) on a corbel of a shop in Lebuh Pantai, George Town. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: An art hunt for little 'sad' statues is gaining popularity here.
What began as a George Town Festival project last year, the tiny figurines called 'Cement Eclipses' are still creating a buzz.
With their woeful, almost dystopian expressions, the tiny figurines hidden in plain sight within the Unesco World Heritage site have become a treasure hunt of sorts.
Standing at 17-20cm tall, they are placed on corbels, in window nooks or even on electrical boxes, making them a fascinating find.
Upon closer inspection, their melancholic facial expressions stand in stark contrast to the generally cheerful atmosphere of George Town's colonial streets.
With chins down, pensive looks, hooded heads, hands in pockets or poker faces, these figurines somehow compel visitors to search high and low for them.
Some wear suits, one is dressed in casual tourist attire with a camera slung around the neck, while others are in shorts and T-shirts. All are securely fastened to structures, mostly more than 4m above road level.
This public art project by Spanish artist Isaac Cordal was initially for last year's George Town Festival and is now a permanent feature.
P. Chandra, 46, who recently turned it into a 'treasure hunt' for his family, successfully locating eight figurines.
'Someone forwarded a map link showing where these figurines are located to my wife,' he said.
'We tapped on the link, and the locations appeared on our Google Maps app. We decided to have a treasure hunt adventure in George Town.'
Chandra added that many statues are in places they typically drive past without truly observing.
'This gave us the opportunity to walk around and discover small biscuit shops, street art and cafes,' he said.
'We had never explored these parts of town before, and while searching for the figurines, we had breakfast, stopped for drinks and checked out various historical buildings along the way.'
Chandra, an associate director at a property management company, said it was a fun family day.
'We stopped after spotting eight figurines as it got too hot and my kids were becoming restless.
'We plan on returning to complete the hunt. This time, we will head out early to beat the heat,' he said.
Chandra said what stood out was the forlorn expression on the figurines.
'They look depressed. I expected cheerful faces.
'It did create a conversation with my children about different feelings and expressions,' he said.
George Town World Heritage Incorporated Communications and Collaborations Department manager Vick Quah said the installation was one that stood out at the festival last year.
'It's an installation that showcases different human emotions in our day-to-day lives,' she said.
'Art is truly subjective, and we all experience different emotions in a single day.'
Quah explained that the figurines depict various jobs and lifestyles, hence their different outfits.
'They portray different emotions, just like us, and some even appear happy,' she said.
She said Cordal has similar installations worldwide and that it was his idea to place the sculptures around George Town.
'There are many lanes in Penang that we simply pass through without noticing its beauty,' she said.
'Cordal's idea was to place them in random locations to encourage people to stop for a few minutes and enjoy the lanes and streets here.
'We received positive feedback during the festival and are glad people are still on the hunt for them.'
Cordal, when installing the sculptures, previously said they were installed across George Town, including in streets, alleys and buildings.
'They were designed to be discovered by the public and to blend into the surroundings, creating a sense of mystery and wonder.
'I installed around 20 sculptures in different parts of the city,' he said.
For a map app link to help you find the statues, email [e-mail].