ABOUT ME
Merryn Trevethan returns to Melbourne in 2025 after 10 years based in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Recent exhibitions include Postmodern Tales at H Queens, Hong Kong; Superhuman Expedition, at Arthub Studios, London, UK; and Pixel Paradise, a collaborative exhibition with Sebastian Mary Tay at Comma Space, Singapore. She has created murals in Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia including for Hong Kong International School 2025, Australian Theatre for Young People, Sydney, 2022 and Facebook in 2020 and 2015. She was one of ten artists (and co-curator) of Bus.Stop.Art public art project, commissioned by National Arts Council for Singapore Art Week 2021. In 2018, Merryn was a fellow of the Golden Art Foundation Residency Program, New York and Red Gate International Artist Residency, Beijing, China in 2009. She was a studio resident at HART Social Studio in Hong Kong from 2021-2024. She holds an MFA from Monash University (2005).
Recent exhibitions include Postmodern Tales at H Queens, Hong Kong; Superhuman Expedition, at Arthub Studios, London, UK; and Pixel Paradise, a collaborative exhibition with Sebastian Mary Tay at Comma Space, Singapore. She has created murals in Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia including for Hong Kong International School 2025, Australian Theatre for Young People, Sydney, 2022 and Facebook in 2020 and 2015. She was one of ten artists (and co-curator) of Bus.Stop.Art public art project, commissioned by National Arts Council for Singapore Art Week 2021. In 2018, Merryn was a fellow of the Golden Art Foundation Residency Program, New York and Red Gate International Artist Residency, Beijing, China in 2009. She was a studio resident at HART Social Studio in Hong Kong from 2021-2024. She holds an MFA from Monash University (2005).
Merryn has held solo and group exhibitions at institutions, artist-run spaces and commercial galleries in Australia, Singapore, USA, Hong Kong and China, including Town Hall Gallery, Melbourne; Trocadero Artspace; Wyndham Gallery, VIC; Australian High Commission, Singapore and Yeo Workshop, Singapore.
ABOUT MY WORK
Living in Asia for the past decade, my work has been inspired by the constantly changing structure of cities and considers the uncertainties of human perception in response to the built environment. It examines how we how we see, record and relate experiences of navigating urban environments.
In my practice I combine paintings, spatial wall-drawings and murals, objects and animations in large-scale installations that mirror the changing perspectives which shape how we relate to our surroundings. I process my observations, layering different modes of seeing to examine how perceptions change over time and are informed by external influences like the digital environment, political situations and social context. I consider these influences along with the role of memory and experience, on our perceptions of space, time, and colour, referencing the often-overlooked systems that underpin our lives. Through playing on the uncertainty inherent in any individual’s perceptions, I hope to build a shared sense of empathy that celebrates multiple viewpoints and acknowledges that we all experience the world differently. My work is both an invitation to relate to and be critical of our surroundings and a reminder to find joy in the moment of experience.