Mei is a British-born Chinese textile artist based in London. Her practice is deeply informed by her family’s migration story: her parents moved to Britain in the 1970s, first working for relatives before saving enough to open their own Chinese take-away. This backdrop shapes her ongoing exploration of migration, identity, and what it means to grow up Chinese in Britain.
Although her parents discouraged her and her siblings from studying art—fearing it would not lead to stable work—Mei returned to creative practice after more than two decades in the corporate world. Through textile art courses, she found a meaningful outlet for self-expression and a way to navigate the continual negotiation of belonging as the eldest daughter of first-generation Hong Kong Chinese immigrant parents.
Narrative storytelling lies at the heart of Mei’s work. She often incorporates materials and aesthetics reminiscent of her family home and the take-away where she grew up. Her practice includes mixed-media drawings that capture food from family meals and food memories, blending techniques such as digital print, applique and stitch. Her favourite stitch is seeding stitch, which she often uses to create a visual effect that resembles grains of rice– a metaphor for time, labour and money.
