Van Mei

Van Mei is an artist, writer, performer and producer and was the director of arts and culture platform, The Pantograph Punch, from 2022 to 2024. They were previously a staff writer and communications manager for the organisation. Mei is of Hokkien Chinese and Pākehā descent and grew up in Pōneke with their Malaysian-Chinese mother.

An enjoyment for writing and art in their youth led them to a “very eccentric CV”. They have had their poetry featured in a wide range of online journals including The Spinoff, Britomart, Te Papa, Gloria Books, NZ Herald, Scum Mag, HAMSTER Magazine, Turbine | Kapohau, Starling, Auckland University Press, Mimicry Journal, Min-a-rets, Te Herenga Waka University Press, Massey University Press, the New Zealand School Journal and Hainamana.

Mei currently focuses their practice on visual arts, performance and literature. Being queer/non-binary and living with C-PTSD and health issues related to adverse childhood experiences, they utilise their art practice to make ‘invisible’ struggles and barriers more visible, advocating for the rights, presence and protection of women, gender minorities and migrants. Mei is a survivor of intergenerational domestic abuse and childhood sexual violence. For them, writing has been a helpful avenue for processing and reflection.

Their poetry was published in AUP New Poets Six, where it was described as having “political edge and personal vulnerability”, and also features in A Clear Dawn: New Asian Voices from Aotearoa New Zealand and Out Here: An anthology of Takatāpui and LGBTQIA+ writers from Aotearoa. They have performed several times as part of Show Ponies. Mei sits on the National Poet Laureate Advisory Board 2022–2024.

Since graduating from AUT with a Bachelor of Visual Arts in sculpture in 2017, they have worked across the sector as a poet, performer, artist and freelance administrator. Mei worked as a producer in residence at Basement Theatre, a curator for Window Gallery and in 2020, they were appointed the director of Enjoy Contemporary Art Space. They are interested in relational approaches to wellbeing and building creative community spaces to heal. Mei has worked extensively with festivals, public programmes and galleries to create exciting performances exhibitions and installations with Satellites, Artspace Aotearoa, Gus Fisher Gallery, Window Gallery, RM Gallery, Te Tuhi, Mairangi Arts Centre, The Dowse, Te Uru, The Physics Room, The Performance Arcade, Auckland Live and others.

Van Mei website

Artspace Aotearoa interview

RNZ Interview — ‘Vanessa Crofskey declares war on art jargon’

The Pantograph Punch — author page

As a writer:

2020 — AUP New Poets 6 (Auckland University Press)

As an artist:

2021 — Now you see me, Gus Fisher Gallery, Tāmaki Makaurau
2019 — We were not born to be stuck, Gus Fisher Gallery, Tāmaki Makaurau
2018 — STRANGE ISLANDS ONLINE, Window Gallery, Tāmaki Makaurau
2018 — A is for Aardvark, B is for Bubonic Plague, The Performance Arcade, Pōneke

2020 — Runner up, Surrey Hotel-Newsroom Writers Residency Award

2019 — Auckland Fringe Award: Best Spoken Word (Long Distance Phone Calls)

2019 — Auckland Fringe Award: The Auckland Arts Festival Fringe Award for excellence in production (Long Distance Phone Calls)

2017 — AD17 Head of School Award (AUT School of Art and Design)

2017 — Auckland Fringe Award: Best Storytelling & Spoken Word Award (Sexts and Subtweets)

2017 — Auckland Fringe Award: Here and Now Award, Auckland Theatre Company (Sexts and Subtweets)

2017 — Auckland Regional Slam Champion

2015 — University of Auckland Slam Champion