‘Sad art’ spurs happy hunting fun in Penang’s George Town

GEORGE TOWN - An art hunt for “sad” figurines is gaining popularity in Penang.

What began as a project for the 2024 George Town Festival is still creating buzz. These tiny figurines, called “Cement Eclipses” – with their woeful, almost dystopian expressions – are hidden in plain sight within the Unesco World Heritage site and have spurred a treasure hunt of sorts.

Standing at 17cm to 20cm tall, the figurines are placed on corbels, in window nooks or even on electrical boxes.

Their melancholic facial expressions stand in stark contrast to the generally cheerful atmosphere of the historical city’s colonial streets.

With their 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 street level.

The public art project by Spanish artist Isaac Cordal was created for the 2024 George Town Festival, but has now become a permanent feature.

Mr P. Chandra, 46, 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.”

Mr Chandra added that many figurines are in places he and his family would typically drive past without noticing.

“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.”

Mr Chandra, an associate director at a property management company, said it turned out to be 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.

He said what stood out was the forlorn expressions 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.

Ms Vick Quah, manager of the George Town World Heritage Incorporated’s communications and collaborations department, said the installation stood out at the 2024 festival.

“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.”

Ms 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 Mr 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.”

Mr Cordal previously said the figurines were situated 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. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK