Art & Garden by Fuan Wong

Art & Garden by Fuan Wong (9 June 2018)

Art & Garden by Fuan Wong (GPS: 5.41481, 100.21495) is a sculpture garden in Teluk Bahang, Penang. It is the brainchild of Penang-born glass artist Fuan Wong. The garden was created for nature and art lovers, fusing an appreciation for the environment with sculptures and other art installations. The garden has a cultivated area of an acre. It holds some 300 species and varieties of plants. Arranged throughout the garden are display art by some 15 local and foreign artists.

Art & Garden by Fuan Wong is open daily from 9:30am to 6:00pm. For enquiries, call 013 533 1232 to visit.

A visit to Art & Garden by Fuan Wong

My wife and I visited Art & Garden by Fuan Wong after we happened to bump into the artist at a cafe in George Town, and he so nicely invited us to tour his place. After breakfast on Saturday, 9 June, we drove up to Teluk Bahang. It was a leisurely drive and we arrived at the entrance at 10:05am. There is a roundabout built right in front of the entrance.

Mr Wong was not available to receive us, but he left word for his staff member to let us in. It was a huge place, much bigger than I had expected. The garden is teeming with numerous plants and trees that are immaculately tended. This being a tropical garden, next to the rainforest, there were bugs everywhere. We came armed with a healthy supply of insect repellant, which isn't entirely necessary, as bug sprays were on hand at regular intervals. As the garden is determined to stay within the organic side of things, it does not carry out any fumigation to keep the bugs at bay, as doing so would also kill all other insect life and disrupt the ecological balance.

Garden paths, many of which picture perfect - like something out of House & Garden - fingered their way in various directions. Steps paved with colourful mosaic took us up steep slopes. At various points, we would come across a sculptured art, some by Fuan Wong himself, and others by his artist friends. Mr Wong's speciality is in fashioning objets d'art from glass. There are quite a number of exquisite pieces all over the garden.

We observed that there are colour-themed sections to the garden. In particular, we noted a section that is predominantly red in colour, comprising mostly bromeliads, while another is mostly white, anchored by a bamboo grove with variegated leaves. At points in the garden, we caught scenic views of the northwestern slopes of Penang Hill and the lowlands of Sungai Pinang and Balik Pulau further south. Beyond the immediate boundaries of the garden is the durian orchard belonging to the artist's family.

We thought we would be done with the garden in under an hour, but ended up spending over two hours there. We had arrived in the cool of the morning, but when we left, it was past noon, and the weather had become intensely hot. We had no choice but to seek refuge at an on-site gift shop which provided respite from the heat. There, we were provided much welcome drinks to quench our thirst. The gift shop sells selected pieces of Wong's glass works, in addition to Malaysiana books and other souvenirs.

Art & Garden by Fuan Wong is a tourist attraction which isn't known by many in Penang. If you love plants and arts, this is the place where the two are rolled into one. My recommendation is that you arrive at 9:30am in the morning, so that you can enjoy the garden when it is still cool.