Cultural Identity in Art: A Comparative Review of Its Role in Contemporary Mural Art in China and Malaysia

Abstract

This review examines the role of cultural identity in shaping contemporary community-based mural art practices in China and Malaysia. Drawing on critical and interdisciplinary perspectives, it investigates how mural artists engage with local cultural heritage, social diversity, and urban transformations in their works. Through a comparative analysis of selected cases, the review highlights the similarities and differences between the two contexts in terms of the forms, contents, politics of mural-making as a participatory process of identity representation and place-making. It argues that while community murals serve as vital platforms for cultural expression, social empowerment and urban dialogue, they are also constrained by the tensions of uneven participation, state/market cooption, and limited sustainability. The article offers critical reflections on the need to develop more inclusive, equitable and transformative approaches to socially-engaged muralism.