The Portrait series is Michael Lau’s latest practice in 2022, in which the artist fused personal stylized elements with the art historical pioneers on intimate canvases, paying tribute to those masters who have expanded the possibilities in art in their respective fields while incorporating his distinctive painting styles and motifs – elements of flowers, slogans, post-it notes, and price tags – a further development from those masters’ contributions. Unlike traditional portraitures, works in the Portrait series deliberately avoid the delicate depiction of the figure's features, relying instead on stylized contours and visual symbols related to the subject of the painting to reveal its identity. In this work, the imagery on the post-it note under the collar of the figure is taken from Dali's masterpiece The Persistence of Memory. Dali's iconic beard is replaced by embroidered flower stems, at the end of which the flower spits its tongue wittily, giving the painting a new surreal meaning with Lau’s “secret codes” in paintings.
10 Feb – 5 Mar 2023
“The true beauty of spring always finds its way to thrive beyond the fences.” —Michael Lau
SPLENDID PARK, Hong Kong artist Michael Lau’s debut institutional exhibition, presents near 40 artworks including paintings and sculptures created from 2011–2022, featuring iconic series in the artist's oeuvre including Gardener, Package Change, First Encounter, Soliloquy, Master, Flower, and Portrait.
In the last two decades, Lau has played a pivotal role in leading the global upsurge of collectible designer toys heralded by Gardener, an avant-garde figurine series created in the 1990s that embody the quintessence of Hong Kong street culture. Never ceasing to document pop culture through his art, Lau has revisited painting in recent years — a medium rooted in the early years of his artistic training — to enrich the visual library of contemporary art, while grounding Gardener, a utopia of youth, friendship, and fantasy, in a contemporary context. Lau’s evolving practice boldly and precisely fuses his formative work, personal life experiences, and positive state of mind. Comprised of scattered yet consistent visual symbols, an aesthetic that hovers between abstraction and figuration, playful and surreal deconstruction, appropriation and juxtapositions of art historical masterpieces, Lau beckons the audiences to a retrospect of his artistic journey starting from Gardener in 1999, through his epiphanies from In the Garden, and eventually reaching the extensive, all-encompassing wonderland: SPLENDID PARK. The exhibition retains Lau’s commitment to community and integrates his reflections on art and today’s world. It’s not only a timely review of Lau’s oeuvre, but also a sincere invitation for audiences to immerse deep into the artist’s creative world.
In The Garden, LGDR Gallery, Hong Kong July 14 - August 27, 2022
In the Garden presents 18 new works from Hong Kong contemporary artist Michael Lau’s Flower series. Lau began the series in 2020, engaging figurative floral portraits, vivid color, and text to convey a philosophy he summarizes with the statement, “With flowers in the face, minds will be in the garden”—a call for positivity in facing the challenges of today’s world. Combining personal life experiences with signature elements of street life and pop culture, Lau boldly renders feelings of optimism, joy, and hope. In the Flower series, Lau deconstructs art historical masterpieces and everyday subject matter, combining them and reframing familiar tableaux into blossoming, surreal juxtapositions of images and text in an aesthetic that hovers between abstraction and figuration. The artworks on view introduce the latest evolution in Lau’s approach—close-up portrayals of individual flowers that nevertheless remain rooted in his early practice, artistic training, and formative experience creating three-dimensional artworks, in response to the artist’s 1999 solo exhibition Gardeners, a utopia of youth, friendship and fantasy.
劉建文:花園裡香港當代藝術家劉建文新作展「花園裡」,呈獻 18 件「花卉」系列繪畫。藝術家自 2020 年開始創作「花卉」系列,將樂觀、快樂、希望等積極的生活態度蘊藏於燦爛明亮的花卉肖像中,通過融合個體生命經驗及其創作中標誌性的街頭文化與潮流元素,傳遞人生 哲學:「願意將花放於面前,心境就在花園裡面」。在「花卉」系列中,劉建文追溯其所受藝術訓練,自三維創作回歸至繪畫這一媒介,以介乎抽象與具象之間的視覺美學及玩味十足的 超現實圖文並置,將藝術史鉅作及現實生活日常解構為畫布之上的綻放圖像。展覽中對單株 花朵如特寫鏡頭般的細緻描繪,體現藝術家在「花卉」系列中的全新嘗試。此次展覽亦是劉 建文歷經逾二十年的實踐演變,對其 1999 年個展「花園人」這一孕育青春、友情與幻想的烏托邦的一次跨時空回望。
]]>Why “Collect Them All!”? Because Michael Lau insists that true collectors are possessed by an unquenchable thirst to acquire all the objects that they desire.
He believes that a meaningful collection should not be assessed by its monetary value, but should, more importantly, evoke feelings of nostalgia and sentiment. A prized collection allows one to delve into memories of the past, provides consolation in times of emptiness, and enriches and elevates the spirit. Michael believes that in the eyes of the collector, objects – whether they be paintings, jewelry, watches, sneakers, or furniture – can provide emotional value, in the same way, that toys can provoke wonder and curiosity.
“Collect Them All!" exhibition at China Guardian Beijing presents Michael Lau's new works in the past two years. With four series of works namely “Method”, “First Encounter”, “Soliloquy” and “Crazychildren”, the exhibition presents the artist's thoughts on his surroundings, perception of life and self-reflection during the two-years’ global shutdown. The monumental painting of 5.5m in height is the artist's tribute to the great master Picasso and an embodiment of his hope that humanity will unite to overcome the crisis.
In today’s fast-changing world, when NFT and the metaverse are rapidly entering contemporary context, how can we embrace new things and create our own perspective? “Collect Them All!” invites you to see the world with open eyes, full of curiosity, as in a child. If life can be viewed as if it is our very first sight, the encounter will surely be welcomed by a young heart.
為什麼是“包圓兒!” (Collect Them All!)? 因為 Michael 認為真正的收藏家對鍾愛之物均擁有無限熱情,不把心頭愛全部收藏絕不甘休。他相信有意義的收藏不應只聚焦金錢價值,更應建基 於個人的情感和經歷。收藏能讓人重拾重要記憶,填補心靈缺失,豐富當下精神生活。而他認為在收藏家眼中,無論是繪畫、珠寶、手錶、球鞋或傢俱等不同形式的東西,在本質上都是滿足人類情感而產生的物件,就像玩具一樣可以帶給人們莫大的喜悅。
“包圓兒!” (Collect Them All! )北京嘉德展覽呈現劉建文近兩年的全新作品,通過四個系列:“方法”,“初見”,“自言自語”和“瘋狂兒童”,展現藝術家在全球停擺的非凡兩年裡,對外
界社會的思考,生命的感悟及自我的反省。其中一件 5.5 米的巨幅畫作,是藝術家向大師畢卡索的致敬,也是寄望人類齊心共渡難關的期許。
瞬息萬變的今天,當 NFT 和元宇宙迅速進入當代視野,如何擁抱新事物,創造自己的天地?
“包圓兒”就像第一次睜開眼睛看世界,充滿好奇。人生若如初見,歸來仍是少年。
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