Shev Tan at RollieX: A Complimentary Art Exhibition in Fitzroy, Melbourne

Our RollieX Artist in Residence for October is Shev Tan, an artist and graphic designer born in Singapore, based in Naarm (Melbourne) and Eora (Sydney). Shev's art is heavily influenced by her own journey of identity and belonging, using a restrained colour palette, bold shapes and caricatures as a way to find connection with her audience.

Shev's exhibition is part of Steps Tell Stories, Rollie’s October campaign built on the belief that if you charted a map of all the steps we take in our lives, it would tell the story of who we are.

We sat down with Shev at RollieX to talk about growing up between two cultures, her painting technique and why art doesn't always have to ‘make sense’.

Shev's exhibition is free to visit at RollieX (our Gertrude Street store in Fitzroy, Melbourne) from 5 October to 1 November 2026. It's one of the art exhibitions on in Melbourne this October, featuring original oil paintings on wood, digital prints and motion works by an emerging Australian artist. 

Rollie: As part of our October campaign, Steps Tell Stories, you’ve mentioned your art is shaped by your own experiences as a first-gen immigrant. What are some of the defining steps that led you to who you are today? 

"I moved from Singapore to Australia when I was 7. Growing up, I was always a weird kid. It's part of me and I don't think I'll ever shake it off. I was one of those kids who just didn't fit in and I think that shaped me into a really good observer. When you're observing, you might not talk a lot, but you have a lot to say. 

In my art, I've always tried to say what I couldn't at specific times in my life. Seeing how people lived here was such a different lifestyle to where I came from. Back then in Singapore, being an artist or doing anything creative wasn't really part of the culture. Coming here, I felt like I had more of a chance. I think my parents saw that too. They kind of went, ‘yeah, this kid likes to draw’.

I loved drawing from a young age. I really sucked at talking to people, so drawing was my way to be occupied. I’d see a cereal box, I’d draw it. I’d see a cartoon, I’d draw it. I drew the Powerpuff Girls nonstop. That's why making art is such pure joy for me. It doesn't have to mean anything if you don't want it to."

Rollie: You use the journey of belonging and identity as a way to find connection and relatability with your audience. In what ways does this show up in your art?

"I think identity and belonging don't just apply to an immigrant. They apply to everyone. Sure, I came here as an immigrant, but what I experienced is what everyone experiences. Even the most put-together person feels weird about themselves on some level. Everyone has that sense of 'this isn't working out how I thought it would'.

In my work, I try to capture how I felt at certain points in my life: the feeling and the memory of that specific moment. I reflect a lot, so there are a lot of hidden meanings in each piece. People don't have to pick up all the references, and that's so fine. For me, it's a release of energy more than anything.

Some of these pieces came from feeling stuck in a stale place in life. They're about belonging and looking towards what could be. You make a little garden for yourself and it feels comfortable, but you don't really know what's outside. There's validity in being in your own safe space too. It's about balance: knowing your space and knowing when to look outside. 

And I don't believe art has to make sense all the time. It's very exhausting. Sometimes I just want to draw something pretty and that's okay. It's a cereal box moment."

Rollie: This month also marks our collaboration with Jesse Boykins III at ComplexCon, with two shoes featuring a leaf print Jesse saw while on a walk in nature. Is there a place you go in nature when you want to switch off, or be inspired?

"In Sydney, there's a place called the Greenway. It's a community project that connects suburbs through their parks, so you're walking park to park, light rail station to light rail station. It feels like a pocket of not-the-city. Sydney can feel like a concrete jungle, especially out west, so these little spots really help me. 

When I lived in Melbourne, there was a huge reserve close to Alphington station with walking trails, big hills and little paths. Let's be real, I haven't walked that far into it. But I've had picnics there before, and it was really cool." 

Rollie: What's your favourite medium to create with? Your work features a mix of prints and oil on wood, but you also have a background in graphic design. 

"Right now, I really like painting. It's something I never thought I could do and I don't have to look at a screen. I've been trying to shut off my computer and live in a non-digital space and painting lets me do that. I still carry my iPad and Procreate to jot down ideas and test colour choices.

Illustrator is historically my favourite. When I was 15, I had an hour-long train ride home, and that hour let me teach myself Illustrator. I only had my laptop and a trackpad. I didn't even have a mouse, because I was 15 and I didn't pack stuff. I still don't. All I had was a trackpad and dreams.

I tried so hard to like canvas. I thought it was the only way to paint. Then a teacher told me I could paint on wood, and I was like, ‘this whole time?!’ I'm not a delicate person. I press really hard and my method is very pointed and jabby, so canvas puckers. I also don't love the grain of canvas, so wood is perfect for me."

Rollie: Let's talk about the pieces you created for this campaign: Forever Home, In The Room and In Bloom. What were the steps you took when creating them?

"I knew the campaign centred on ideas of home and belonging, which is really who I am. The earthy colour palette felt perfect, because home can mean so many things.

Each piece is a different aspect of home: the inside of the home, the outside of the home and what's inside yourself. Categorising things lets you tell a whole story rather than painting the same picture three times. Forever Home is more decorative, a heart-is-in-the-home idea, with floral flourishes inspired by Asian patterns. I made the vector pieces scalable because I knew I wanted to animate them. The orchid at the front of the store was always going to move. I made the motion pieces in After Effects. Sometimes I surprise myself. I only wanted two or three points of motion, because too much would make the store feel too busy.

Conceptually, I always think about the experience first. Having the whole store is unique, so I asked: ‘what am I trying to say when people look in, and when they look out?’ The main screen became a grounding moment and the storefront is the first point of contact. It was very logical, but I needed to know narratively what I was saying. Otherwise, they would just be pretty pictures on a wall."

Rollie: What do you hope people feel when they spend time with your art?

"I hope they feel grounded. I hope they feel whatever they want to feel. When I started showing my art, I wanted people to know exactly how I was feeling. The more I showed it, the more I realised it's not up to me to decide how people feel about it. If they take something away and do something else with it, that's great."

Rollie: If someone reading this is standing at the start of their own first step as an artist, what's one thing you'd want them to know?

"Try a lot of things but keep making things to completion. If you don't, you'll forever box yourself in as a hobbyist rather than someone being intentional with what they make. 

Artist is a really big word. People are so scared of it. I am too. A lot of the time, I don't think I am one. I just make stuff and show it to people. The more you show up for yourself, the more you realise some people will like it and some won't. It's up to you what you do with that. Make stuff to completion, show it, then decide how you want to align."

Rollie: Who are the creatives that inspire your craft? Whose steps inspire you?

"Working in graphic design has really influenced my composition and colour. I'm playing to my strengths. I don't believe in following someone's journey, because I don't know their life and they don't know mine. But in terms of work, I'm really inspired by Patrick Nagel. He did those striking 80s editorial figures, including the Duran Duran Rio cover.

Growing up, I thought the woman on that cover was Asian because of the black hair and pale skin. I loved how it showed beauty and that's always stuck with me.

I was also inspired by Malika Favre's vector work, her use of minimal colours & intentional shapes. Focusing on the overall form makes my brain happy. And Instagram is such a great source of inspiration for me too. 

See Shev Tan at RollieX, Fitzroy

Forever Home, In The Room and In Bloom are on display at RollieX on Gertrude Street, Fitzroy from 5 October to 1 November 2026, alongside Shev's digital and motion works. Entry is free. Follow Shev on Instagram at @hi_im_shev.

Shev is photographed wearing our Derby Step in Vintage Forest.

FAQs:

Who is Shev Tan? 

Shev Tan is an emerging Australian artist and graphic designer, born in Singapore and based in Naarm (Melbourne) and Eora (Sydney). Her work explores identity and belonging through a restrained colour palette and bold, editorial shapes.

Is the Shev Tan exhibition free? 

Yes. Shev Tan's exhibition is free to visit at RollieX, 225-227 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065, until 1 November 2026.

What art exhibitions are on in Melbourne in October 2026? 

RollieX in Fitzroy is showing Shev Tan as part of Rollie's Steps Tell Stories campaign: a free exhibition of oil paintings on wood, digital prints and motion works.

What is RollieX? 

RollieX is a Melbourne digital art gallery, residing in Rollie’s Fitzroy Flagship on Gertrude Street. Rollie’s Artist in Residence program features a new artist each month.

Can you paint on wood instead of canvas? 

Yes! Shev primes her wood panels with gesso prior to painting. She prefers wood over canvas because it doesn't pucker under heavy pressure and resembles the firmness of an iPad, when she draws in Procreate. In her opinion, wood grain is also prettier than canvas.

What mediums does Shev Tan use? 

Shev works across vector art in Illustrator, digital illustration in Procreate, motion in After Effects and oil paint on wood.