Miri hosts city's first mural festival, igniting vision for 2075 through art

Abdul Karim (eight left) and Ting (seventh left) in front of the mural painted by Aqif (fourth right) for the Mercure Miri Mural Art Festival & Art Conference 2025.
MIRI (June 21): Mercure Miri City Centre has successfully hosted the city's first-ever mural art festival and conference from June 4 to 14, transforming parts of the city into a vibrant, large-scale exhibition space.
Held with the theme 'Envision Miri 2075, Powered by PEAKS,' the event invited artists and the wider community to imagine the city's future through public art and open dialogue.
Organisers described the festival as not just as a celebration of creativity but as the beginning of a long-term cultural movement rooted in Miri's identity.
Six muralists were commissioned to interpret visions of the city's future on walls around the hotel, specially prepared for the project.
The featured artists included Sheep Chen, Helenya Apostolou, Bounce, Amey Sheikh Ali, Sam Lim and Letterhythm, each bringing unique perspectives to the theme.
Miri-born artist Jagung served as lead curator, contributing a 16-storey mural, now the tallest in Sarawak, which became the centrepiece of the festival.
The last two days of the event featured an Art Conference that focused on topics around art, identity and long-term community development.
Several dignitaries officiated the event, including Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who represented the Sarawak Premier, along with Deputy Minister Datuk Sebastian Ting.
(From left) Ting and Abdul Karim standing in front of the 16-storey mural created by Jagung.
In his opening remarks, Evolveland CEO Roger Sim, the driving force behind Mercure Miri, called for stronger support for local creatives.
'Miri has every potential to become an art capital for Sarawak, if stakeholders, communities, and creatives come together to build that dream,' he said.
Meanwhile, Abdul Karim emphasised the role of art in sustaining culture, and encouraged more public-private partnerships to support the creative economy.
Keynote speaker Juvita Tatan Wan, co-founder of The Tuyang Initiative and MYYinitiative, encouraged local communities to invest in grounded cultural work.
'Embrace your pace. Find beauty in what is slow and grounded, because that is often where the deepest art resides,' she said.
Panel discussions explored Sarawakian art history, mural commissions, curatorial practice, the impact of AI and digital media on artists, and the role of mental health in creative work.
One of the most powerful sessions was 'Artism,' focusing on creative expression for individuals with learning disabilities. Aqif, one of the featured children, contributed a mural to the newly launched Wall of Resilience, now showcasing artworks by neurodivergent youth.
The initiative was widely seen as a powerful statement of inclusivity, ensuring that no one is left behind in Miri's evolving cultural narrative.
The next edition of the Mercure Miri Art Festival and Art Conference is expected to be announced this August. Arts and Culture community lead Mercure Miri City Centre mural

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