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Brooklyn-based artist Mu Pan’s solo exhibition, Micro MUniverse, is on view at Hashimoto Contemporary in New York through October 10, 2026. The show brings together small, densely detailed acrylic works that draw on mandala imagery and a Chinese Buddhist adage about the life contained in a cup of water.
Brooklyn-based artist Mu Pan’s solo exhibition, Micro MUniverse, is on view at Hashimoto Contemporary in New York through October 10, 2026, bringing together small acrylic works that layer animals, people and plants into intricate, often symmetrical scenes. The exhibition takes inspiration from mandalas and from an idea about the abundance of life in even a small amount of water, using compact formats to hold elaborate imagined worlds.
Many of the works are less than a foot wide, according to the exhibition report by Colossal. Their scale places emphasis on close viewing: Pan fills the paper with fine lines, carefully arranged forms and expressive figures. The scenes combine recognizable creatures and human figures with hybrid or near-abstract forms. Colossal describes the imagery as fantastic and eccentric, with moods that range from serene to uncanny.
Among the works highlighted in the report are “18 Angels”, an acrylic on paper measuring 7½ by 7½ inches, where black-winged skeletons meet otherworldly figures, and “Burning Rabbit,” a 7¾-by-7-inch acrylic on paper depicting a dramatic gathering of woodland creatures. The exhibition also includes “4 Brutes,” an acrylic painting on wood panel measuring 20 by 24 inches. It is the exception to the show’s generally small scale described in the report.
Colossal says the collection draws on a Chinese Buddhist adage that a cup of water contains countless lifeforms and should be consumed with care. The show’s mandala imagery also draws on a Buddhist tradition in which precise geometry and symbolic motifs represent the universe. The exhibition report does not say that Pan’s paintings are devotional objects or that the artist is recreating a specific religious ritual.
Small Formats, Dense Imagined Worlds
The exhibition’s central artistic choice is its use of small surfaces for elaborate scenes. Pan has said he wants to focus on smallness because, in his view, something small can contain more than it first appears to. That idea links the physical scale of the works with the crowded worlds inside them: individual figures, plants and creatures share space in compositions that can appear orderly, strange or both.
For visitors, the format affects how the works are encountered. Their measurements encourage close attention to line, expression and the relationships between figures, rather than a quick impression from across a room. The contrast between compact dimensions and dense imagery also gives the exhibition a clear organizing idea, connecting its visual detail to the show’s interest in life and scale.
The mandala reference adds another layer to that framework. In the Buddhist tradition described by Colossal, mandalas use precise geometry and motifs to represent the universe and a sense of order. Pan’s compositions take inspiration from that form while combining it with imaginative, sometimes unsettling scenes. The available source describes the influence and the artworks; it does not establish a broader claim about the artist’s religious practice or the exhibition’s reception.
Mandalas and the Cup of Water
Colossal’s report places the paintings in relation to two ideas: mandalas as images of the universe and the adage about the multitude of lifeforms in a cup of water. It describes Tibetan Buddhist monks making colorful sand mandalas as part of mindfulness practice. After completion, those works are ritually destroyed, with the sand customarily returned to moving water as a reminder of impermanence.
That practice is context for the mandala tradition, not a description of what happens to Pan’s paintings. The report presents his works as acrylic paintings on paper or wood panel, and says the mandala inspires the foundation of this series. It does not say that the works are ritual objects, or that they are destroyed after the exhibition.
The exhibition includes works dated 2026 in a range of sizes and subjects. Along with “18 Angels,” “Burning Rabbit” and “4 Brutes,” the report lists “Deer,” “Purple Weasel,” “Green” and “Bear.” Most are acrylic on paper; “4 Brutes” is acrylic on wood panel. Micro MUniverse remains on view through October 10 at the gallery in New York City.
““I want to focus on the concept of being small, because whatever is small actually contains way more than it appears. Therefore, each small image is like a drop of blood, and each drop of blood contains multiple universes.””
— Mu Pan, as quoted by Colossal
Details Beyond the Exhibition Report
The available report does not give visitor numbers, sales information or critical response, and it does not describe how viewers have received the show. It also does not provide further detail on Pan’s process for planning or painting the compositions, beyond his comments about smallness and the life he sees contained within it.
The source identifies the exhibition’s Buddhist references but does not explain whether Pan has described a personal religious connection to them. It is also unclear from the report whether the artist or gallery plans additional public events, talks or programming before the show closes.
Exhibition Runs Through October 10
Micro MUniverse is scheduled to remain on view through October 10, 2026, at Hashimoto Contemporary in New York City. The report gives no later exhibition dates or announced next milestone for the works. Readers seeking additional images can consult the artist’s Instagram, which Colossal directs them to for more of his work.
Key Questions
Where can visitors see Mu Pan’s Micro MUniverse?
The solo exhibition is on view at Hashimoto Contemporary in New York City, according to Colossal’s report.
How long will the exhibition be open?
The exhibition is scheduled to continue through October 10, 2026.
What materials did Pan use for the works?
The report identifies works in acrylic on paper and one painting, “4 Brutes,” in acrylic on wood panel.
What inspired the series?
Colossal says the series draws on mandala imagery and a Chinese Buddhist adage about the many lifeforms contained in a cup of water. Pan has also said that small things can contain more than they appear to.
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