Mira Rizki (b.1994, Bandung, Indonesia) is a multidisciplinary artist working with sound and interactive components based in Bandung, Indonesia. Sensitive to the shape and perception of sound, she explores how different backgrounds, environments, and memories shape our auditory experiences. Her work highlights how each person perceives sound uniquely, often experimenting with aural memory and soundscapes to create immersive compositions. She is involved in several exhibitions, such as “Menggodam” at Ilham Gallery [Kuala Lumpur] 2025, Indonesia Pavilion at Gwangju Biennale 2024 (as a contributor artist) and “Walking Wandering” 2023 at Asia Culture Center (ACC) [Gwangju], “Present Continuous” at MACAN museum [Jakarta] 2021, “RRRAWRRR!!! 2022: ARUS” – Maybank’s Southeast Asian Emerging Women Artist Exhibition at Maybank Virtual Art Gallery [Kuala Lumpur] 2022, “There is No Center” at ROH Project [Jakarta] 2025 and “Bandung Contemporary Art Award #6” at Lawangwangi Creative Space [Bandung] 2019. She also had her residencies and exhibitions at Aomori Contemporary Art Centre (ACAC) in Aomori [Japan] 2019, and Barim in Gwangju [South Korea] 2023.

She graduated from Bandung Institute of Technology, Intermedia Art Studio, and had her exchange program at Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig.

Can you tell us about your background and how you started your artistic journey?

I was born and grew up in Bandung, Indonesia. Since I was a little kid, I was introduced to art through drawing by my father, even though no one in the family has an art background (most of them are economists and ulama—Islamic scholars). I pursued my drawing skills during my teenage years, while having a band with some friends. I just realized that I like to play music too. Once I had a dream to become a rock star, hehe.

Until I began to study at Bandung Institute of Technology in the Faculty of Art and Design, I enrolled as an Intermedia Art student. At college, I met lots of amazing art students, and one of them who inspired me the most to become a sound artist was Etza Meisyara (an Indonesian Artist). She showed me how to involve music as part of the sound in visual artworks. It was really nice to know that I can work with both of my two favorite practices, visual art and music (later I more recognize it as sound).

Then I began to get to know and understand this medium further. I tried to embrace sound by articulating my thoughts through sound installations, sound sculptures, conceptual works, and even my experimental band with its sound performances. I started to feel that sound is capable of transmitting my ideas in a genuine way.

In the process of being consistent as an artist, I felt I wavered. I have to be realistic to survive myself and my family, I couldn’t depend only on my art practice to fulfill our financial needs. Especially, becoming an artist who mainly works with sound in Indonesia is not easy to penetrate the art scene. So I have to do other work like teaching kids to draw, become the lecturer’s assistant at my college, until I start to do the office work for the film and game industry in Jakarta, while doing my art practice on the weekends. I manage to keep consistent with my art practice even though I have to do 9-6 office work and sometimes become overwhelmed, but I enjoy it. I started to feel that I work not only for survival needs but also for my art. It is worth doing.

Early this year, I just resigned from my office work because the company was collapsing, so I braced myself to focus on my art practice. Now, I feel grateful to find a ‘quiet path’ to evolve and focus more on my artistic career. I thought I wanted to chase my dream of becoming fully dedicated as an artist.

How do you stay inspired and motivated to create new work?

I used to do a grounding process, where I could feel like I really lived in the moment, observing tiny things, and playing around in my everyday life. I also love walking around in a new place, like in a city that I visit. I try to explore places that might be interesting to be ‘present’ there. Recently, I was moving from one place to another for work, and I treated that moment just like an artist residency. I tend to be very curious to visit unique yet peculiar places.

I used to interact with the local people, and sometimes some of them don’t hesitate to share their personal stories with me. I understand that basically, people want to be heard. I always bring my sketch book, cellphone, and recorder to record any experience and thoughts that I obtain from the visit. I am positioning myself as a newcomer and always want to know what’s happening. This helps me a lot to be more sensitive and aware to absorb any inspiration from my surroundings and convey it through the artwork.

Sometimes, people see me strangely while doing this. They would like to talk to me and have a conversation with me, because they are curious. And it helps me to collect some data that I need for my artwork.

Are there any particular mediums you prefer working with? Why?

I love to work with sound! Regarding its physical form or the conceptual idea about it, and its nature as an impermanent element. I found it special, because it is intangible at the surface, but it has a lot to tell as we go deeper. By sound, I have the authority to imagine what is happening in my mind, it is very mutable for everyone. It depends on how people perceive with their own backgrounds, situations, and stimuli. Moreover, sound becomes a sign of something that is present and happening to me.

I have an interest in exposing the mechanical and physical way the sound is created. This encourages me to know the characteristics of the materials and techniques to produce the sound.

What challenges have you faced as an artist, and how have you overcome them?

For me personally, being surrounded by too much stimulation sometimes makes me overwhelmed, especially with the political, economic, and social situation in Indonesia nowadays. I need to choose my path really carefully by educating myself, and know how I am supposed to communicate through my artistic practice. Sometimes I take a break just to clear my mind and emotions. But creating art will always be my escape plan to express my idea without speaking of it directly. 

Another realistic challenge is to be sustainable to keep creating art while you have another job to manage. When I was a salaried woman in a company, I spent my weekends and leave days on my art practice. I was amazingly exhausted, but I love it. I feel like stepping into another stage of being an artist. So I keep motivated to be better at managing my professions. Even after I resigned from my office, I still need to do some freelance jobs, and I have gotten used to managing my time and being effective. Also, working in other disciplines has broadened my perspective beyond just being an artist. It was a valuable experience. I never regret it.

How do you approach exhibiting your work? What are your goals when showing your art in public spaces?

I understand that my piece in any exhibition space is always gonna involve the other intangible aspects, such as the artistic experience of the audience on site, the site situation, and the effects that might be generated when the piece interacts with the site. I always strive to make my piece respond to its space beyond acoustic space and sonic experience; the narratives are always embedded in their artistic experience within the artwork space.

I tend to configure my piece in the public space to ignite any critical thoughts of the audience regarding the space and moment of my idea, and what they perceive. I am aware that a space has its own narrative layers, and that element will create more dialogue with my piece and the point of view from the audience when they perceive the artwork.

What do you hope people take away from your art when they experience it?

I just want them to be ‘present’, aware that we have a limited time to experience something. I want them to acknowledge a new perspective from my piece regarding the context of space and the process that they have been through when they immerse themselves in the artwork. I hope their artistic experience can help them to reflect on themself from what they encounter during the perceiving process.  I wonder if the impermanent sound that amplified in the piece will echo in their conversation even when they leave the exhibition space.

Text & photo courtesy of Mira Rizki

Website: https://mirarizkik.me/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirarizkik/