CONCERNED that Penang Hokkien is slowly fading as fewer young people speak the dialect, Penang-based illustrator and artist sumidik is using art and design to keep it alive.
Kenny Ng, 38, hopes his debut solo exhibition, MaiKea — ‘Fear Not’, will encourage more people to appreciate the dialect and pass it on to future generations.
Named after a Hokkien expression that calls for courage, the exhibition draws inspiration from Ng’s love for the dialect and his belief that it should remain part of Penang’s cultural identity.
“I want to make sure Hokkien is passed down properly. We have our own dialect and our own pride, and I hope more people will appreciate it through art and other creative mediums,” he said during a recent interview with Buletin Mutiara.
With a background in advertising and digital creative work during his university days at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) in Kampar, Ng said he wanted to take a more accessible approach to promoting Hokkien rather than relying solely on academic methods.
He believed people could connect with the dialect through everyday conversations, familiar expressions and humour.
“Hokkien is something we use very naturally in our daily lives. You can hear it when people order drinks at kopitiams, bargain at morning markets or talk to one another.
“I realised that there are so many expressions unique to Penang Hokkien, and I want to capture them before they are forgotten,” said Ng, who oversees several projects at Hin Bus Depot and Penang Art District.
The exhibition features his Hokkien Calendar illustration series and Tu Kao series, which document everyday phrases, local expressions and wordplay through illustrations and literal translations.
The works serve as a personal archive of memories and language, allowing visitors to recognise familiar expressions while appreciating their meanings in visual form.
Ng said the exhibition was largely text-based, featuring 14 designs that showcase Hokkien expressions alongside their literal translations. Each design is limited to 20 pieces.
He added that the response to Hokkien-themed merchandise had been encouraging, with some items selling out whenever they were released.
“I think these creative mediums are a good way to learn Hokkien. People can read the expressions, understand the humour and relate them to their own experiences,” he said.
The exhibition also invites visitors to contribute to an interactive installation inspired by the messages commonly found on public toilet doors and walls.
Recreating the familiar practice of leaving messages on toilet walls, the installation allows visitors to share their own words and expressions, reflecting the informal, humorous and sometimes vulgar ways people use the language.
Ng said the idea was to show that Hokkien was not confined to formal settings, but remained a living language shaped by everyday interactions.
He added that he had also learned from members of the public who shared their knowledge of the dialect during the project.
“People have come up to educate me too. I have learnt a lot from them, and that is part of the process.
“This is not about being an academic or saying there is only one correct way to approach the language. It is about getting people interested and encouraging them to speak Hokkien,” he said.
The exhibition brings Penang Hokkien into contemporary art while encouraging more people, particularly the younger generation, to take an interest in the dialect.
The exhibition runs until Oct 31 at MassHaus Art Gallery in Victoria Street, George Town. Admission is free.
The gallery is open from noon to 6pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Visits from Monday to Thursday are by appointment, which can be arranged through the gallery’s Instagram account.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Siew Chia En