West is Best

Created in Japan, these one-off ink works by Aretha Brown were drawn with Japanese calligraphy pen and black ink. This body of work is new and rare, made outside of her usual large-scale murals and canvases.

Each piece is deeply personal, reflecting on relationships, memory, and her life in Melbourne, and translated into bold, spontaneous linework. The works capture the immediacy of travel, intimacy, and emotional connection, while continuing her broader practice of storytelling and protest through art.

This series also marks a pivotal moment in Aretha’s career, ahead of her major exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia in December 2025, offering collectors the chance to acquire a rare and personal set of works that sits alongside her institutional practice.

Medium: Calligraphy ink on paper
Year: 2025
Dimensions: 29.7 cm x 42 cm
Edition: Unique originals (signed “A.B.”)