What is Art Beats?
Art Beats Festival is an exciting, creative collaboration between Lancaster University in the UK and Sunway University in Malaysia. The inaugural edition (2023) took place at Sunway University, and this year (2024), Art Beats is held at Lancaster University in partnership with Lancaster Arts. Art Beats includes a wide range of events, such as gallery exhibition, film screenings, award ceremonies and masterclasses with industry professionals.
The festival also holds filmmaking workshops between students from both Lancaster and Sunway, with Lancaster students travelling to Sunway last year, and Sunway students coming to Lancaster this year. Throughout the workshops, they are mentored by film directors to create short films over a week, and have their films screened at the end of the festival.
Art Beats also maintains a digital presence through the online exhibition, allowing artists from around to world to come together and share their artwork. Art Beats accepts a variety of artwork from artists, including submissions from the UK, Malaysia, Iran, Indonesia, Czech Republic, and more. This year the artists submit their work under the themes of Flight, Eco-Visions and Untold Stories.
How was Art Beats created?
Lancaster University and Sunway University have a long history of partnering together to support global education, student mobility and international research. In 2006, the two universities established an academic partnership which has grown from an initial cohort of 21 graduates to around 4,500 students who are enrolled in courses.
This long-standing partnership led to Dr Maryam Ghorbankarimi visiting Sunway University to attend their graduation ceremony in March 2020, and encountering Dr Mayco Axel Santealla. The two began dreaming about an art festival that brings together Lancaster and Sunway students. After a few years of planning, they successfully applied for the Global Advancement Fund, allowing them to realise their vision of creating Art Beats Festival, bringing about its first edition in 2023.
Director of Film Studies and Senior Lecturer in Film Practice from Lancaster Institute for Contemporary Arts (LICA) at Lancaster University
Professor Mayco Axel Santaella
Acting Dean of School of Arts at Sunway University
Global Advancement Fund
The Global Advancement Fund (GAF) supports innovative projects that enhance Lancaster University’s global network. The fund aims to strengthen connections between international campuses, enrich the global student experience, and boost research opportunities. The GAF encourages high-impact projects that foster collaboration, sustainability, and international engagement.