There is good, and then there is great. That is the difference between Penang and Shah Alam street art. Everyone who has ever visited Malaysia knows about the impressive street art of Penang. Sure, it is cool and unique. And it can be fun hunting around to try and find them all.
Don’t get me wrong, the artwork in Penang is good — but the Shah Alam street art scene known as Laman Seni 7 is so much better. Plus it is just a short LRT ride away from Kuala Lumpur city center (same distance as the Batu Caves, just in a different direction).
Welcome to Laman Seni 7
Covering every single building wall spanning two blocks in the shape of a U, all the artwork in Laman Seni 7 (roughly translated as “art yard 7”) was created in 2014 by some of Malaysia’s best street artists. This is one of those fantastic places that not even the locals know about it — after one of my local buddies first took me out to Laman Seni 7 I shared the photos with friends around Kuala Lumpur, shocked to discover that none of whom had heard of Laman Seni 7.
A quick gift for all my fellow Pinners
The Best Street Art In Malaysia
One of the nicest things about the Shah Alam street art is that each mural is accompanied by a plaque featuring both the name of the artwork and the artist, along with a paragraph explaining it. Most are in English, however a few are in Malay.
Street Art…With A Story
At Laman Seni 7 there is always a story and a message behind street art, but often times these are only known to the artist or are left up to interpretation by the viewer. Not the case here in Shah Alam. My favorite piece here is set in the year 2047 — it is a huge three-piece mural stretched across an entire alley depicting the view from the cockpit of a spaceship (airdrone).
Here are each of the three pieces in greater detail:
Super Stylish Street Art
Most of the murals in Shah Alam are very elaborate, even thought-provoking. They were created during June 2014 and officially unveiled on June 22nd, 2014. Certain things such as what happened to Malaysia Airlines flight 370 remain as important of a question nowadays as they were three years ago. Will the puzzle of Flight 370 ever be solved?
+ 3D Street Art
If you have ever visited Penang then you know that a lot of the street art is actually 3D artwork. Many of the pieces there incorporate metal wire and other objects, either in addition to or instead of paint. Unfortunately many of the 3D murals of Shah Alam are not withstanding the test of time as well.
Below are ‘then and now’ photos of the Super Mario World mural. I didn’t even realize that it used to be 3-dimensional until doing some additional research on Laman Seni 7 this morning. (“then” photo via Juliana Lee — see more)
THEN
NOW
Back in 2014 those two dozen plastic water bottles hanging on wires in the photo above were actually a massive flock of blue fish that stretched across the alley.
Several of the works bear a striking resemblance to murals in Penang. One can only assume that the same artist is behind both.
See More Penang Street Art Photos + Map
Where To Find The Shah Alam Street Art
The easiest way to get to Laman Seni 7 is via the KTM Komuter train. This is the same line that goes Batu Caves, however instead of heading north you want to go south towards Klang and disembark at Padang Jawa (station KD12). From there Laman Seni 7 is a just a short taxi ride away.
Alternatively, you can also take the Kelana Jaya LRT to Subang Jaya (station KJ28 / KD09) and from their either transfer to the KTM Komuter line, or take a taxi from there.
Check out the street art in Mersing – you will be delighted!
Really Grahame? Missed that last time I was there….but did not explore Mersing much, was too eager to get to Salang and get underwater 😉
I bloged it here: http://tioman-scuba.com/street-art-in-mersing/
Unbelievable. Never made it to that city, but did make Penang. Next time!
Next time is right Mike Hinshaw — you are long overdue for a return to Asia ????
Actually Derek I will be in Japan the first two weeks of June. We are grandparents for the first time. Our son and his wife had a son on April 3rd.
Congrats Mike!
Love it!
Best part is no tourists know about this place Kenin Bassart and only a couple of Malay bloggers have written about it — unlike Penang, where every blogger who has ever visited has written about the street art. (Yup, I’m guilty of it too lol.)
I visited Penang and didn’t write about the street art 🙂
Cheers for being the exception Jim Cheney ????
These works are more terrestrial whereas the work in Mersing is more marine orientated.
There is also a ‘harder’edge to this art rather than the whimsy to be seen in Mersing.
Both reflect their environment and both have a strong element of fantasy.
What I particularly like in Mersing is the obvious fictional and Hollywood inspired references.
Great point Grahame. Street art is often influenced by the environmental, cultural and political aspects of that particular city and region. That is one of the reasons I always enjoy hunting for new street art — sometimes it gives you a glimpse into a different side of things. Then again, other times it is about embracing the beauty of what’s around you and the highlighting what makes a place great. That is one of the reasons that I enjoyed seeing your street art photos from Mersing. Completely unexpected. Of course one could argue that if street art doesn’t make a lasting impression then the artist is doing it wrong 😉
Besok kesini ahhh
Lo dmna skrg Hassan Hans ?
Minggu kemaren baru dari SG, sekarang di JKT, minggu depan mungkin baru jalan. Lo sekarang di MY?
Iya, d MY msh Hassan…..mngkn jln2 dsni ntk 1-2 bln. Ahhh k daerah baru? Nice! Any idea where?
There’s one in Gopeng too, if you remembered. hehe
https://kakijalans.com/2014/02/14/visit-malaysia-gopeng-perak-a-sleepy-town-turned-art-sanctuary/
I’ve not seen either in real life Derek!
I’ve seen articles on the street art of Penang, but this is the first time that I’ve seen any of Laman Seni 7. I like street art although this one seems to be a little too serious for my taste however, I quite enjoy the 3D element, and the fact that it works “across” it’s natural environment and sort of “blends in.”
Nice stuff!
I was super shocked to discover the artwork of Laman Seni 7 — it was only because of a local friend who knows my love of street art that we ended up here. A quick Google search showed a couple of old articles from Malay bloggers but nothing else on TripAdvisor or anywhere else. So I wrote this article that same night just to spread awareness of another hidden street art scene in Malaysia. It’s just a short train ride from KL Sentral too, which makes it a great destination for repeat visitors to KL who have already done the stereotypical tourist things, like the Batu Caves and Central Market. All that having been said, it is much more “in your face” than the laidback and old street art of Malaysia. Quite a few of the pieces (not pictured in this article) are powerful statements against smoking and other social taboos.
Anyway, please forgive my late response — I’ve been scuba diving and island-hopping the last two weeks and have barely had cell service, let alone wifi and the opportunity to hop on a laptop. Hope all is well on your end Victoria…..cheers from Malaysia! 😀
You’re always forgiven Derek!
‘Sounds like you’re having a whale of a time in the sunshine!
We recently returned from Croatia where it was lovely and sunny only to return back to Berlin, where it began to snow. In the middle of April! I was so annoyed ‘cos the only reason that we had to return was that this year, the Easter holiday ended on a Tuesday!
Enjoy the good times my friend. Enjoy!
wow. its just brilliant isnt it? I saw some great street art in rio and did a post but it’s got nothing on this!
I love street art that makes a statement, don’t you? 😀 Hey just found your Rio street art article……seems it is about time that you add “The Americas” to your countries menu 😉
That street art is SICK man, clearly I need to hit Penang soon as a street art addict. And the 3D stuff is wicked. Reminds me a little bit of Melbourne.
Come on back to Asia brother, the artwork will be waiting for you. Been researching different countries around here to register my media production company in and take the next step. Cannot keep doing this shit all by myself. Plus depending on the country I could hire full time employees for around $250-300USD/month. 2-3 employees and maybe even an intern, I’ll be set and can really start expanding. Come join me!
very cool.
And this is the best of you, lol 🤭 https://t.co/hExqFwXjGH