scholar . author . artist

Welcome to Merlyna Lim’s website.

LATEST NEWS

I’m humbled and grateful to receive Heritage Ottawa’s Gordon Cullingham Award this year. Thrilled that this award will allow me to bring my “Sketching Ottawa” project to the public.

Heritage Ottawa wrote, “The Cullingham Grant selection panel was unanimous in choosing this richly layered project that offers a creative exploration of Ottawa’s heritage places through 100 original ink-and-watercolour sketches of the city’s landscapes, streetscapes, and buildings. Each image will be paired with a short text that weaves together a vernacular history and personal reflection.” Thank you, Heritage Ottawa!

Meanwhile, a selection from my ongoing series, #MusicArt: Seeing Music, Hearing Nature, which brings together music and visual art through paired acrylic works and musical compositions, is currently on solo exhibition at The Linda Street Gallery at Dovercourt, 2-28 February 2026.

Exploring the interplay of sound and sight, the works evoke mood, rhythm, and the fleeting qualities of light and season. Layered textures, expressive strokes, and impasto surfaces—often shaped with palette knives—allow the visual language of each piece to echo the movement, resonance, and emotional tone of its accompanying music.

LATEST PUBLICATIONS (OPEN ACCESS)

click here for a complete list of publications

Lim, M. (2025). Algorithmic enclaves. In M. Grömping, A. Nai, & D. Wirz (eds.), Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Communication (pp. 44-48). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://www.elgaronline.com/display/book/9781035301447/9781035301447.xml [free PDF]Limited. https://www.elgaronline.com/display/book/9781035301447/9781035301447.xml

Lim, M. (2025, Nov 27). Beyond Zohran Mamdani: Social media amplifies the politics of feelings. The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/beyond-zohran-mamdani-social-media-amplifies-the-politics-of-feelings-269792

Lim, M. (2025). Reframing algorithmic public opinion: Affect, recursive dynamics, and vernacular practices. Dialogues on Digital Society, https://doi.org/10.1177/29768640251370900.

Lim, M. (2025). In curhat we unite (and divide): Scalable affective sociability, algorithmic politics, and social media in Indonesia. Indonesia. 119 (April): 39-57. https://doi.org/10.1353/ind.2025.a961926.

Kloos, D., Lim, M., Linquist, J. (2025). Faith, Followers, and Factions: Making Social Media Publics in Indonesia. Indonesia. 119 (April): 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1353/ind.2025.a961924.

Lim, M. (2025). Social Media and Politics in Southeast Asia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. electronic; print

And check out the video abstract below.

Lim, M. (2023). “Everything everywhere all at once”: Social Media, Algorithmic/Marketing Culture, and Activism in Southeast Asia. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, 24(2): 181-190. [PDF] or [PDF]. https://doi.org/10.1353/gia.2023.a913644. A video of Lim’s “Q&A with Author” is available here.

Lim, M. (2023). From Activist Media to Algorithmic Politics: The Internet, social media, and civil society in Southeast Asia in E. Hansson & M. Weiss, Routledge Handbook of Civil and Uncivil Society in Southeast Asia. London & New York: Routledge, pp. 25-44.

My latest/current art projects

A CAPPELLA with THE EDOENS

I’m a nerd in many things. And when it comes to singing a cappela, I’m a full-on nerd You haven’t really met me until you’ve seen me sing live with The Edoens .

Here is a glimpse (12 minutes of 90 minutes performance) into one unforgettable afternoon with The Edoens —our 13 April 2025 concert, brought to life after just four whirlwind rehearsals during the Ied holidays.

MusicArt.ArtMusic – ELEGY

check https://merlyna.org/art/#currentproject

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