The Orangutan House

You really can't miss this place — just look for the giant orangutan grinning at you from the side of the building! Welcome to The Orangutan House, lah, one of the most unique and colourful art spaces in Malacca and a local landmark that's been making visitors smile since 1993. This quirky gallery is the brainchild of Charles Cham, a Malaysian artist who took over a heritage shophouse on Lorong Hang Jebat — that's the lane running parallel to Jonker Street — and turned it into his personal creative playground. The exterior is impossible to ignore: a massive orangutan mural painted in bold yellows and peaches covers the wall, and the entire building is splashed with colour. In a street full of heritage shophouses, The Orangutan House stands out like a firework, kan? But why an orangutan? Well, Charles Cham adopted the orangutan as his signature motif to draw attention to the endangered great apes of Borneo and Sumatra. Malaysia is home to one of the last remaining wild orangutan populations, and Cham uses his art to celebrate and advocate for these magnificent creatures. The orangutan appears in dozens of his paintings inside, rendered in his distinctive pop-art style —...