KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 10 -- Once dismissed as vandalism or visual novelty, graffiti, murals and public art haveover the past decadereshaped how Malaysians encounter art - not in art galleries, but on streets, bridges, drains and building facades.

From George Town's iconic murals by Ernest Zacharevic to sprawling graffiti projects across the country, public art has evolved into a shared visual language of place, people and identity.

But as walls fill up and murals age, one main question arises: what comes after murals?

Public perception

For Penang Art District general manager Kenny Ng, the future of public art lies not in scale or spectacle, but in rethinking its purpose altogether.

"Public art has shifted over time, from civic idealism ...