Mia Nel
Mia trained as graphic designer and works with mixed media which include Sugar, Resin and Ink. Having lived and worked in Africa, Europe, and Asia, she explores shifting concepts of origin and identity through an exploration of materials such as sugar techniques and iconography. These explorations have resulted in an evolving graphic language of patterns and cultural symbols that become and act of preservation and celebration of culture that continues to shape her evolving identity.
Artist Bio
MIA was born in the rural part of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and is a third-generation creative and artist. She earned her degree in graphic design and illustration from the University of Stellenbosch before embarking upon a multi-decade design career, working mainly in London and Hong Kong.
Since moving to Hong Kong more than a decade ago, she has been exploring the visual language of her adopted home, focusing on the expressive possibilities of ink painting and brush calligraphy. To this well-established tradition she has brought her experiences of colour, pattern, and symbol, as used in the visual language of her African heritage.
As the exploration of her fusion of traditions continues to evolve, Mia has begun extending beyond her use of traditional media, using sugar as canvas. Born out of a pandemic experiment, her recent work applies her ink and brush techniques onto royal icing sculptures.
Why sugar?
Sugar is life. Sugar is energy. Sugar is also a preservative. This makes sugar a great metaphor for culture. In times of great disruption and change, our ability to preserve culture becomes increasingly challenged. Traditional culture, much like fine sugar work, is both beautiful and brittle. Left in harsh sunlight, the sugar will melt. Handled without care, cracks are inevitable. As more and more traditional arts and cultural practises begin to lose practitioners, the pressure is mounting on the next generation to preserve, cherish, and build the rich legacies. All arts practitioners have a role to play and Mia relishes the opportunity to take part in this dialogue.
Mia explores the elevation of ‘sugar art’ beyond the edible and momentary. Inspired by the Ming dynasty sugar painting, in which molten sugar replaces ink, Mia combines traditions of sculpture, ink painting and icing decoration, to produce object d’art, encased in resin, that both protects and cherishes the brittle beauty of the art form.
Sugar Facts
When I work on my sculptures people always ask if the sugar in the resin will go bad. Scientifically Sugar is a stable substance that has an indefinite shelf life because it does not support microbial growth like other foods. I dehydrate my artwork so the lack of moisture in sugar acts as a deterrent against and bacteria and mould, so sugar does not spoil and is often used as a preservative. You heard that right: sugar never goes bad.
Using sugar to prolong the life of foods goes back to the time of Alexander the Great. His contemporaries – who didn’t know the complexity of sugar chemistry that we apply – were grinding fruit and adding sugar to not only preserve it, but to make a whole new product: jam. So I’m basically preserving a preservative with Resin. So… no, the sugar in Resin will not go bad.
Education
1999 - 2003
Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design,
Stellenbosch University
Exhibitions
Solo
Group
2022, Origins, OiLing Gallery
2024, Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong
2024, Art Central, Hong Kong
2023, Affordable Art Fair Singapore
2023, Exceptional Art and Antiques Presentation "Platinum Luxury" Oi Ling Gallery (Landmark Mandarin, Hong Kong)
2023, Affordable Art Fair Shanghai
2023, Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong
2023, Art Central, Hong Kong
2023, Blossoms of life — International Female Contemporary Art Exhibition
2022, Belt & Road National Art & Culture Expo
2019, Up in Art, ART Rooftop