Draft:Merida Lim

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• Comment: Better on LinkedIn I would suggest. ChrysGalley (talk) 16:24, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

Merida Lim (born c. 2004–2005), also known by her given name Lim Xin Mei, is a Singaporean entrepreneur and artist best known as the founder of SCURO, a neon art experience studio in Singapore. She launched SCURO in 2024 at the age of 19, having left formal secondary schooling at 16. The studio, whose name derives from the Italian word for "dark", is billed as Singapore's leading neon art jamming destination, offering glow-in-the-dark workshops, neon birthday parties, and corporate team bonding experiences.^[1][2]

Merida Lim attended River Valley High School in Singapore, where she experienced significant academic pressure and associated anxiety. She has spoken publicly about using art as a coping mechanism during that period. "When I was in secondary school, I had some mental health issues, and I think when I created art, it gave me a safe space to express my emotions," she explained in a 2024 interview.^[3]

At the age of 16, Lim left secondary school, making the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) certificate her highest formal academic qualification. She has described her school years as marked by panic attacks triggered by the competitive academic environment.^[4] After leaving school, she enrolled at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) but later took a gap year to develop SCURO full-time.^[5]

From the age of 14, Lim worked a variety of jobs, including as a waitress, a children's face painter, and a live wedding painter, accumulating savings that would later fund her business.^[6]

Lim founded SCURO in 2024 with S$10,000 of personal savings, supplemented by S$16,000 in support from her parents. To validate demand before committing to a permanent space, she first operated a small pop-up art studio at Pasir Ris, renting studio space at approximately S$70 per hour from MurcyArt Gallery. The initial concept centred on horror-themed art jamming, which Lim connected to her own experiences of processing anxiety and difficult emotions through dark imagery.^[7][8]

The pop-up attracted a following, particularly from Singapore's alternative arts community, and achieved near-full weekend bookings. With demand established, Lim — with help from her father — invested her savings into a permanent studio space at Kampong Bahru, occupying the second level of a shophouse at 79 Kampong Bahru Road, a short distance from Outram Park MRT station.^[9][10]

Shortly after SCURO's official launch, Lim recognised that horror art, while appealing to a dedicated niche, limited the studio's broader audience. Within the first week of opening — even as early social media content had gone viral — she began pivoting the studio's offerings. She introduced fantasy-themed sessions ("Wonderland" and "Candlelight") and, upon identifying the absence of a dedicated neon art jamming venue in Singapore, developed what would become SCURO's signature offering: neon art jamming under ultraviolet (UV) blacklights.^[11]

The neon art format — in which participants paint on canvases using UV-reactive neon paints in a darkened room — proved particularly popular with younger demographics and families. Lim described her business philosophy: "Business is like dating. When you first date someone, you don't marry them. So, you need to look through a lot of different ideas and then go and test out each of them."^[12]

Despite early viral attention on TikTok, SCURO faced serious financial difficulties. Lim has acknowledged that the studio came close to shutting down. To drive awareness and bookings, she launched a public TikTok challenge in which she documented her attempt to earn S$6,000 in 50 days, using the format to draw viewers into SCURO's story.^[13][14]

A turning point came when Singapore content creator Jianhao Tan — one of the country's most-followed influencers — visited the studio with his family. The resulting attention generated a surge in bookings and allowed SCURO to reach its break-even point. Lim subsequently appeared on Singapore radio station 987FM alongside influencer Ridhwan, and the studio attracted collaborations with organisations including Radical Kindness.^[15]

SCURO's core service is a guided neon art jamming session conducted under UV blacklights. Participants use an easy tracing method to transfer designs onto canvas before painting with UV-reactive neon paints. All materials, aprons, and templates are provided. Sessions run for two hours for adults, 1.5 hours for children aged 5–8, and one hour for toddlers aged 2–4 (using a simplified cut-out method). The studio also offers a Neon Slime Workshop, in which participants create customised glow-in-the-dark slime.^[16]

SCURO offers children's birthday party packages themed around neon and blacklight art. Packages include exclusive use of the studio, dedicated party hosts, a neon birthday banner and balloons, a custom digital invitation, cake storage, and full setup and cleanup. The flagship "Neon Birthday Bash" package is priced from S$60 per child for a two-hour session, with the premium "Neon Party Extravaganza" adding both art and slime activities across a three-hour event. Optional add-ons include UV-reactive temporary tattoos and light-up crowns for the birthday child.^[17][18]

SCURO provides structured neon art team bonding experiences for corporate groups. The format involves participants each painting one section of a shared canvas, with individual pieces coming together to form a single collective artwork. Designs can be customised to incorporate company logos or values. Three structured activities are offered:

• Jigsaw Challenge: Leaders direct their teams to complete a puzzle under time pressure.
• Colors Hand-Off: Each participant is assigned only one colour, requiring collaboration to complete the overall painting.
• The Presentation: Teams conceptualise and create artwork around a company objective or motto, then present it to leadership.^[19]

Corporate clients that have hosted team bonding sessions at SCURO include Marina Bay Sands, Mediacorp, and AsiaOne.^[20]

In late 2025, SCURO opened a second studio location on Serangoon Road, featuring a larger primary room alongside additional workshop space. The Serangoon branch also accommodates a bouncy castle add-on for birthday parties, in partnership with event company Bop and Hop. As of 2025–2026, SCURO operates studios at both Kampong Bahru and Serangoon Road.^[21]

Lim and SCURO have been featured in a range of Singapore and international media outlets. Coverage includes The Straits Times, Business Insider, AsiaOne, Lianhe Zaobao, Vulcan Post, The Smart Local, and Hype Singapore.^{[22][23][24][25][26]} A documentary-style short film about SCURO was also produced by Danamic as part of their Passion Pursuits series on Singaporean creatives.^[27]

• Official SCURO website
• SCURO Asia

Category:Living people Category:People from Singapore