Bryan Mew (bb.mew)

“Australian Chinese emerging artist, Mew’s practice involves co-mingling the origins of the Japanese and Chinese writing system with painting to reimagine the ancient language in a contemporary context. “

As humanity is heading towards a digitally dominant world, we start to forget our roots and origins before the charge of technological advancements. In chasing efficiency and unity, we forget that there is something very human about the inception and ancestral foundation of our world today, including the way we study and use language. Mew experiments with the ancient Chinese pictographic language, deciphering its original meaning and roots to inform and extend his painting practice.

Latest exhibitions

Open art studio with traditional wooden facade, hanging artwork with Japanese calligraphy, and a sign outside indicating it is open, with some art supplies and furniture visible inside.
A collage of white tiles with black ink brush strokes forming an abstract dragon or serpent, set on a surface with black ink splatters and drips, with additional sketches of plants or trees on paper.

り– DISCOVER

Presented at the Space Department Nara art residency, ‘り-discover’ invites us all to rewind, and experience the world through ancient characters.

An abstract black ink painting of a person's face in profile with Japanese or Chinese characters and the words 'BOK-KOKU' in gold. The artwork has a traditional calligraphy style with splashes and bold brushstrokes.
The entrance of a traditional Japanese building, with red columns, banners with black calligraphy, and a stone path leading up to it, surrounded by trees.

Bokkoku 8th Annual Exhibition

Held at Honkakuju Temple, Asakusa in March 2024, this group show presented ink on paper works as well as a live performance guided by Kenryo Hara.

Abstract artwork with swirling pink and purple brushstrokes, black ink splatters, and multicolored paint splashes on a pink background.

New Experiments

Silhouettes of a woman and a child interacting against a colorful, abstract background with various shapes and textures.

Blending ancient Kanji characters with contemporary painting and collage techniques, influenced by Japanese Shodo.

  • An art gallery display with a glass sculpture of a plant on a pedestal and paintings on the wall behind it.

    Liminal Hybridity

    Exhibited in Brunswick Street Gallery, ‘Liminal Hybridity’ focuses on exposing the phenomenology of dreams and the awareness of dimensions beyond the physical plane.

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  • Artwork featuring a figure with wings and multiple arms, painted in a surreal style, adjacent to a red section with white text promoting a group show from March 9 to 27, 2022, including labels G2 and G4.

    Melbourne Red Gallery Exhibition

    ‘Figuratively speaking’ – The biological, the synthetic and the human all converge in an instance in which scientific progression ultimately blends all ecosystems together into a singularity.

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