Art Beats Festival



Art Beats is an international arts festival that celebrates creativity, collaboration and cultural exchange through exhibitions, screenings, performances, workshops and talks. Bringing together artists, researchers, students and communities from around the world, the festival provides a platform for creative dialogue across disciplines and cultures.

Alongside its public programme, Art Beats runs an international filmmaking initiative, where students collaborate across borders to develop and produce original short films under the mentorship of professional filmmakers.

Each edition explores a set of annual themes that inspire artistic responses to contemporary social, cultural and global issues. In 2026, as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Lancaster University–Sunway University partnership, the festival centres on The Power of Two, Crossings, and Future Memories.

Art Beats welcomes submissions from artists worldwide through both its physical exhibitions and online gallery, creating an accessible platform for international creative exchange. Since its launch, the festival has featured artists from more than 14 countries.




How was Art Beats created?

Art Beats grew out of the long-standing partnership between Lancaster University and Sunway University, a collaboration that has been shaping global education, student mobility and international research since 2006. Over the past two decades, the partnership has expanded from an inaugural cohort of just 21 graduates to a thriving community of around 4,500 students studying across a wide range of programmes.

The idea for Art Beats emerged in 2020 when Dr Maryam Ghorbankarimi visited Sunway University for its graduation ceremony and met Dr Mayco Axel Santealla. Sharing a passion for creativity, collaboration and intercultural exchange, they envisioned an international festival that would bring together students, artists and researchers from both institutions through film, visual arts, music and performance.

Following several years of planning, the project received support through Lancaster University's Global Advancement Fund, enabling the launch of the inaugural Art Beats Festival in 2023.

Since then, Art Beats has evolved into an annual international festival, alternating between Malaysia and the United Kingdom. Alongside exhibitions, screenings and performances, the festival now includes collaborative filmmaking workshops, artist talks and research-led events, creating opportunities for participants to learn from one another, develop new creative work and build lasting international connections.

In 2026, Art Beats celebrates not only its fourth edition but also the 20th anniversary of the Lancaster–Sunway partnership, marking two decades of collaboration through education, creativity and cultural exchange.
Festival Directors



Professor Mayco Axel Santaella
Dean of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Sunway University


Dr Maryam Ghorbankarimi
Senior Lecturer in Film Practice from School of Arts at Lancaster University

Festival Coordinator/ Web Design


Sky Fong
BA Film and Creative Writing (Lancaster University)
MA Film Studies (Kings College London)
Festival Intern/Web Design

 Yung Yau Tung
BA Film and Theatre (Lancaster University) Festival Intern/Web Design


 Grace Lloyd
2nd year BA Fine Art and Film (Lancaster University)