"Cow and Fish" Sculpture, Malay Street, George Town

Cow and Fish Sculpture, Malay Street, George Town, Penang (30 June 2012)


Cow and Fish is a steel-rod sculpture at the junction of Fish Lane with Malay Street, in the inner city of George Town, Penang. It faces Fish Lane. The sculpture, based on caricature by Reggie Lee for the Marking George Town project, depicts a butcher chasing after a cow to be slaughtered while a housewife chased after a cat that ran away with a fish.

The "Cow and Fish" Sculpture represents the boundary between the two communities that existed side by side in the 19th century. North of Malay Street, the area was a Malay village. There is an abattoir in the area where cow and buffaloes were slaughtered.

South of Malay Street and towards the sea, the people were mostly Chinese fishermen who depended on the sea for a living. Before the late 19th century land reclamation extended the shoreline outward, water's edge was at Beach Street. At the estuary of the Prangin River, a market developed and became known as Sia Boey , meaning town's end. Activities in the area included the making of salted fish and belachan, as well as mending nets and the making of basketware. Fish Lane got its name from these activities.

List of Steel-Rod Sculptures by Reggie Lee, Marking George Town Sculptures and Penang Street Art