2024 Art Basel, Hong Kong
Flower Series: “There is no blue without orange and without yellow.” II, 2024
Acrylic on canvas
70⅞ × 55⅛ inches (180 × 140 cm)
Comprising vibrant colors and bold geometries, Michael Lau’s Flower series illuminates the artist’s painterly investigations of line and form through the traditional subject of the still life. While Lau initiated his Flower paintings in 2020, the series harkens back to the artist’s early practice—forming a link with his 1999 solo presentation, Gardeners, featuring figural characters including friends of the artist (graffiti artists, DJs, rappers, and skateboarders)—exhibited at the Hong Kong Arts Centre. Of his figurative floral works, the artist has said “With flowers in the face, minds will be in the garden,” emphasizing the positive and joyful force he ascribes to his chosen imagery. Limitless in their transformative and creative potential, Lau’s Flowers serve as generative and inspiring portrayals for the artist and viewers alike.
The present work marks Lau’s latest development in the Flower series and pays homage to Vincent van Gogh’s renowned Sunflowers imagery, created in August 1888 in Arles. The title Flower Series: “There is no blue without orange and without yellow.” is a direction quotation of van Gogh’s letter in June 1888: “There is no blue without yellow and without orange, and if you put in blue, then you must put in yellow, and orange too, mustn’t you?” The motif of the painting points to van Gogh’s future vision during his convalescence in Arles via sunflowers—the artist’s friend, Gaugin, was particularly fascinated by the flowers, and van Gogh hoped “to live with Gauguin in a studio of our own…to make decorations for the studio. Nothing but big flowers…If I carry out this idea there will be a dozen panels. So the whole thing will be a symphony in blue and yellow.”
Lau’s latest Flower continues his practice of referencing and appropriating iconic artwork images from art history, engaging in a dialogue with the masters through his own distinctive language, while stands out from the rest of the series due to its particularly introspective characters. Interwoven in the previous Flowers are signifiers of commercial visual culture, such as price tags and invented labels, as well as pop motifs, like cartoonish eyes and tongues, evoking Lau’s connection to street art. These elements grant the Flowers a unique glossary and a graphic visual appeal. Here, they still exist, yet hides humbly in the composition of van Gogh in a more harmonious manner. It’s worth mentioning that the signature codes from the artist’s Flowers, namely the vibrant pupils in place of the pistil, personifies each flower as Lau’s different character. Here, these pupils are subtlety articulated to add to a playful ambiance that serves as a bright contrast to the blue tone usually found in van Gogh’s work. They blend into the bright yellow, orange, and blue hues of the work, prompting the viewers to ponder van Gogh’s advanced color theory and his rich spiritual world. Serving as a double tribute to the great master, the vase and its shadow reveal a faint silhouette of van Gogh, indicate another of the artist’s playful interpretation fusing portrait and abstraction. The present work indicates Lau’s further dedication to painting, showcasing the artist’s humble engagement in the medium and his continuous dialogues with the art history masters.
Acrylic on canvas
70⅞ × 55⅛ inches (180 × 140 cm)
Comprising vibrant colors and bold geometries, Michael Lau’s Flower series illuminates the artist’s painterly investigations of line and form through the traditional subject of the still life. While Lau initiated his Flower paintings in 2020, the series harkens back to the artist’s early practice—forming a link with his 1999 solo presentation, Gardeners, featuring figural characters including friends of the artist (graffiti artists, DJs, rappers, and skateboarders)—exhibited at the Hong Kong Arts Centre. Of his figurative floral works, the artist has said “With flowers in the face, minds will be in the garden,” emphasizing the positive and joyful force he ascribes to his chosen imagery. Limitless in their transformative and creative potential, Lau’s Flowers serve as generative and inspiring portrayals for the artist and viewers alike.
The present work marks Lau’s latest development in the Flower series and pays homage to Vincent van Gogh’s renowned Sunflowers imagery, created in August 1888 in Arles. The title Flower Series: “There is no blue without orange and without yellow.” is a direction quotation of van Gogh’s letter in June 1888: “There is no blue without yellow and without orange, and if you put in blue, then you must put in yellow, and orange too, mustn’t you?” The motif of the painting points to van Gogh’s future vision during his convalescence in Arles via sunflowers—the artist’s friend, Gaugin, was particularly fascinated by the flowers, and van Gogh hoped “to live with Gauguin in a studio of our own…to make decorations for the studio. Nothing but big flowers…If I carry out this idea there will be a dozen panels. So the whole thing will be a symphony in blue and yellow.”
Lau’s latest Flower continues his practice of referencing and appropriating iconic artwork images from art history, engaging in a dialogue with the masters through his own distinctive language, while stands out from the rest of the series due to its particularly introspective characters. Interwoven in the previous Flowers are signifiers of commercial visual culture, such as price tags and invented labels, as well as pop motifs, like cartoonish eyes and tongues, evoking Lau’s connection to street art. These elements grant the Flowers a unique glossary and a graphic visual appeal. Here, they still exist, yet hides humbly in the composition of van Gogh in a more harmonious manner. It’s worth mentioning that the signature codes from the artist’s Flowers, namely the vibrant pupils in place of the pistil, personifies each flower as Lau’s different character. Here, these pupils are subtlety articulated to add to a playful ambiance that serves as a bright contrast to the blue tone usually found in van Gogh’s work. They blend into the bright yellow, orange, and blue hues of the work, prompting the viewers to ponder van Gogh’s advanced color theory and his rich spiritual world. Serving as a double tribute to the great master, the vase and its shadow reveal a faint silhouette of van Gogh, indicate another of the artist’s playful interpretation fusing portrait and abstraction. The present work indicates Lau’s further dedication to painting, showcasing the artist’s humble engagement in the medium and his continuous dialogues with the art history masters.
「花卉」系列：「沒有黃、橙，便沒藍」II，2024年作
丙烯 畫布
180 × 140 厘米（70⅞ × 55⅛ 吋）
「花卉」系列起始於劉建文自新冠全球公共衞生危機以來，結合生命經驗與潮流文化對當代社會議題的審視與哲思。用色大膽、造型奪目，劉建文通過線與形的繪畫實踐，探索「靜物」這一繪畫傳統母題。創作期間，劉建文追溯所受藝術訓練，在畫面中繼承、融匯先前創作中街頭藝術與潮流文化元素，彰顯著全球化工業生產和外貿繁榮在劉建文個人記憶中的獨特烙印。通過援引藝術史經典圖像與傳統母題，將其融入現實生活日常，劉建文將花卉解構為畫布之上綻放的「愛」、「快樂」、「純真」與「智慧」等美德，傳達與意象相映成趣的精神能量。
本作標誌着劉建文在「花卉」系列的持續發展，並致敬了文森特·梵高膾炙人口的向日葵圖像，創作於1888年8月阿爾勒的《向日葵》。《沒有黃、橙，便沒藍》，本作標題摘自1888年6月梵高書信原文：「沒有黃，便沒藍，沒有橙，便沒藍，如果你放上了藍色，就必須放上黃色，也必須放上橙色，不是嗎？」 畫面主題更是指向梵高在阿爾勒療養時期通過向日葵寄託的願景——好友高更對向日葵格外迷戀，而梵高「計劃為和高更共同居住的工作室畫一系列作品，我想要裝飾工作室。除了許多巨大的向日葵外一無所有……如果我執行我的計劃，將會有一打畫兒。一整首藍色與黃色的交響曲。」
藝術家最新的「花卉」系列作品繼承了他援引藝術史名作圖像，以個人標誌性符號與藝術大師對話的脈絡，同時因其格外內斂的特質，而自「花卉」系列中脫穎而出。在往期「花卉」系列中，人們常觀察到畫布上直觀再現的噴漆、塗鴉和拼貼的街頭藝術氣質，溯源藝術家以潮流藝術家身份自居的早期創作。構成其潮流玩偶作品基礎構形的幾何形狀與眼球、標價牌、俏皮的舌頭隨性並置於畫面，它們賦予了「花卉」系列獨特的繪畫語彙和平面視覺美感。在此，這些標誌性元素依然存在，卻以更為和諧的方式和梵高的圖像融為一體。
值得一提的是，在劉建文的「花卉」系列中，花卉中央的眼球與藝術家自我和創作情緒息息相關，每朵花蕊處的眼球代表藝術家自我的不同位面。這些眼球在過去的作品中常以深色繪就，佔據花卉中央，奪人眼球，與觀眾直白對視。而在此處，它們謙卑地隱匿潛藏在作品明麗的黃橙藍色調中，黃色和橙色的向日葵花蕊睜大瞳孔，藍色向日葵花朵眼帘低垂，傳達着與藍黃色彩相協調一致的心緒，引觀眾思索梵高領先的色彩理論和繁盛的精神世界。於花瓶處，藝術家巧妙融入與畫面色調一致的梵高自畫像，瓶花靜物的投影實為梵高半身自畫像的身軀這點在劉建文的手稿中直觀可見，而劉建文標誌性的價格標籤意象則玩味地分別出現在援引自畫像的煙斗處與耳朵處，蘊藏在圖像中的多重意義為觀眾解讀畫面更添一番趣味。綜上，向日葵如同自藝術家腦海中盛開，向上旋轉着升騰着，向世間散佈太陽的璀璨熱烈，《沒有黃、橙，便沒藍》標誌着劉建文在繪畫創作中的精益求精，展示了藝術家將與藝術大師的對話融入創作，投身繪畫的謙恭。
丙烯 畫布
180 × 140 厘米（70⅞ × 55⅛ 吋）
「花卉」系列起始於劉建文自新冠全球公共衞生危機以來，結合生命經驗與潮流文化對當代社會議題的審視與哲思。用色大膽、造型奪目，劉建文通過線與形的繪畫實踐，探索「靜物」這一繪畫傳統母題。創作期間，劉建文追溯所受藝術訓練，在畫面中繼承、融匯先前創作中街頭藝術與潮流文化元素，彰顯著全球化工業生產和外貿繁榮在劉建文個人記憶中的獨特烙印。通過援引藝術史經典圖像與傳統母題，將其融入現實生活日常，劉建文將花卉解構為畫布之上綻放的「愛」、「快樂」、「純真」與「智慧」等美德，傳達與意象相映成趣的精神能量。
本作標誌着劉建文在「花卉」系列的持續發展，並致敬了文森特·梵高膾炙人口的向日葵圖像，創作於1888年8月阿爾勒的《向日葵》。《沒有黃、橙，便沒藍》，本作標題摘自1888年6月梵高書信原文：「沒有黃，便沒藍，沒有橙，便沒藍，如果你放上了藍色，就必須放上黃色，也必須放上橙色，不是嗎？」 畫面主題更是指向梵高在阿爾勒療養時期通過向日葵寄託的願景——好友高更對向日葵格外迷戀，而梵高「計劃為和高更共同居住的工作室畫一系列作品，我想要裝飾工作室。除了許多巨大的向日葵外一無所有……如果我執行我的計劃，將會有一打畫兒。一整首藍色與黃色的交響曲。」
藝術家最新的「花卉」系列作品繼承了他援引藝術史名作圖像，以個人標誌性符號與藝術大師對話的脈絡，同時因其格外內斂的特質，而自「花卉」系列中脫穎而出。在往期「花卉」系列中，人們常觀察到畫布上直觀再現的噴漆、塗鴉和拼貼的街頭藝術氣質，溯源藝術家以潮流藝術家身份自居的早期創作。構成其潮流玩偶作品基礎構形的幾何形狀與眼球、標價牌、俏皮的舌頭隨性並置於畫面，它們賦予了「花卉」系列獨特的繪畫語彙和平面視覺美感。在此，這些標誌性元素依然存在，卻以更為和諧的方式和梵高的圖像融為一體。
值得一提的是，在劉建文的「花卉」系列中，花卉中央的眼球與藝術家自我和創作情緒息息相關，每朵花蕊處的眼球代表藝術家自我的不同位面。這些眼球在過去的作品中常以深色繪就，佔據花卉中央，奪人眼球，與觀眾直白對視。而在此處，它們謙卑地隱匿潛藏在作品明麗的黃橙藍色調中，黃色和橙色的向日葵花蕊睜大瞳孔，藍色向日葵花朵眼帘低垂，傳達着與藍黃色彩相協調一致的心緒，引觀眾思索梵高領先的色彩理論和繁盛的精神世界。於花瓶處，藝術家巧妙融入與畫面色調一致的梵高自畫像，瓶花靜物的投影實為梵高半身自畫像的身軀這點在劉建文的手稿中直觀可見，而劉建文標誌性的價格標籤意象則玩味地分別出現在援引自畫像的煙斗處與耳朵處，蘊藏在圖像中的多重意義為觀眾解讀畫面更添一番趣味。綜上，向日葵如同自藝術家腦海中盛開，向上旋轉着升騰着，向世間散佈太陽的璀璨熱烈，《沒有黃、橙，便沒藍》標誌着劉建文在繪畫創作中的精益求精，展示了藝術家將與藝術大師的對話融入創作，投身繪畫的謙恭。
