About mei hsien
Mei Hsien is a visual artist, living and working in Singapore. Born in 1983, she graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 2004. Drawing has always been an integral part of her art practice and her fascination with lines started when she discovered the collagraph technique from printmaking. With that technique, she has been exploring portraiture in her drawings. Her inspirations come from her habitual observations of daily events and people around her. Working with a wide range of images culled from periodicals to web images, her subjects range from politicians, celebrities, to the anonymous man on the street.
Mei Hsien began portraiture subjects when she was in her final year in NAFA. Her first print series – “Man in Crisis” focused on portraits of men incorporating their hands expressing their emotions. Her continuous one-lined style echoes a strong minimalist undertone to her works. She often experiments using other mediums in different scales. Some of her early works were grouped preferably under the epigraph of “experiments” rather than as “products.”
Without restricting herself to just portraiture, Mei Hsien often experiments with themes of human condition and action. After her “Squareroots” series, she moved from portraiture into the realm of sports with the “Soccer Duo Series”. In this series she attempted to capture speed, action and the underlying turmoil in soccer, using layers drawn by a single line. She favors the vibrant magic crayon over other mediums as the medium gives a slightly broken and faded look, giving the drawing a nostalgic allure. The rich multi-coloured line flows in an uninterrupted motion, emphasizing playfulness and spontaneity, highlighting the physical intensity of the sport in this new series.
Mei Hsien’s works are usually without any agenda or political statements. Her subjects take on undetermined identities as the focus is not on their actions but rather on details like their expressions, facial lines, and emotions of their faces that are captured. With this, Mei Hsien invites her audiences to feel the emotion of her subjects by appreciating her techniques in her works.
Mei Hsien’s works have been displayed in the Annual Printmaking Society Show, the Esplanade Tunnel, and the Postmuseum.
solo exhibition
2007
“Art Indulgence “Man In Crisis” Exhibition, Que Pasa, Emerald Hill Road
group exhibition
2010
“Work” at Post-museum
2009
“家” a group exhibition at Post-museum
“Sasaran International ASEAN Artists” at Galeri Seni Putiara, Penang
2008
“Unversed Roles 1st Edition 2008” Artist Caravan Project at Instinc
“Proof V” at SG Private Banking, Alliance Française de Singapour
“Missexpectations” at Esplanade Tunnel
2007
“Noise” 2007, Art and Design Showcase exhibition, Hereens
2006
“Intl Art Exchange”, Queen B’s Queen Charlotte Haida Gwaii, Canada
2005
“Print Out”, Singapore Tyler Print Institute
“Gong Xi Fa Cai”, Instinc
2004
“Cut: Collaborative drawing & site-specific installation Project, Instinc
“Rojak”, Ant Gallery
“Proof 2004”, Singapore Tyler Print Institute
“An Eye For Identity”, Utterly Art Gallery
“Diploma Show”, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
“The Della Butcher Award”, Rotary Club of Orchard
Other Art Projects
2009
Be Inspired Workshop at Que Pasa, Emerald Hill Road
2008
Artist Caravan Project
Noise Singapore Design Team
Marina Mandarin Art Branding Project
2007
Live Art Performance at Launch of “Smirnoff- Green Apple Flavor”
eM by the River, Gallery Hotel
2006
Singapore Art Festival: Kidfest Art Workshop
Art Instructor Assistant (Action Painting) at ACS Barker Road
2005
Artist Exchange Program at Bowen Secondary School
2002
Sculpture Carnival at Sculpture Square, Art Assistant
collections
2004 United Overseas Bank (UOB) Art Collection
2007 TERRE Studio
eM by The River at Gallery Hotel
