resurfaced
about MB Anderson
I am a British artist based in Shanghai.
Through Resurfaced I use watches as a canvas to explore the relationship between time, memory, culture and place.
my timeline
My professional career has been spent in business and human resources, but painting has remained a constant throughout my life.
Over time, those two worlds began to overlap. I became increasingly interested in the transient nature of experience, and in the ways people use objects and places as anchors for memory and meaning.
I found myself doing the same. As I built a collection of vintage watches, I became fascinated by how they change over time. Watches accompany us through ordinary days and significant moments alike, quietly accumulating scratches, wear and associations that reflect the lives they have travelled through.
Eventually, watches emerged as the perfect platform for exploring these relationships.
1. re-surface the dial/face of the watch. Painting gives it a new layer.
2. re-appearing after being hidden. restoring or enhancing the value of the watch.
"resurfaced" means both to:
Why watches?
They are practical objects, but also deeply personal ones; small repositories of time, memory and experience worn on the wrist.
They absorb scratches, marks and memories. Unlike many objects, they are designed to survive long enough to be passed from one generation to another.
That combination of intimacy, longevity and wear is what makes them such compelling canvases.
philosophy
Everything has its own timeline. People, places and objects. As they move through the world, they interact with one another, leaving traces behind.
Through use, objects such as watches accumulate wear, character and meaning over time. Their scratches, marks and imperfections become evidence of a life lived. Inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi (金継ぎ, “golden joinery”), where damage is repaired with gold to celebrate rather than conceal it, and by ideas of sustainability and circularity, Resurfaced is about viewing objects differently.
A vintage watch connects us to the past through the stories it carries. A new watch connects us to the future through the stories it has yet to collect. Resurfaced seeks to preserve one while helping to create the other.
Every watch arrives with its own history. Every owner brings another. The resulting artwork marks a point where timelines meet.
how are they painted?
By hand, using premium paints, extremely thin brushes, a microscope and a lot of patience.
Each piece is planned to make best use of the dial.
Maximum attention to detail is needed at all stage.
where has resurfaced been?
Exhibitions
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Multiple solo exhibitions in Shanghai
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Joint exhibitions in Shanghai and UK
Media
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May 2026 Edition of China Vogue Man
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'Next Step' TV show on Dragon TV, Shanghai and Shanghai Metro (Dec 2025)
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'The Bund Frequency' podcast
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Interviews with industry KOLs in Shanghai
Industry events
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Shanghai International Watch Festival (2025)
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Shenzhen Watch Week (2026)
Collaborations
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Brand collabs with multiple watch brands (small independents and national/international brands)
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Collab with fashion retailer as a one-off sales promotion and charity event.
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