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Hong Kong's street culture has come to Seoul in the form of toy figurines.
Hong Kong-based artist Michael Lau is holding his first solo exhibition here in the capital.
Michelle Kim tells us more about the artist and his work. With artwork based in hip-hop
and skateboarding culture, Michael Lau has become one of the hottest figures in the Hong
Kong design and street culture scene.
Now, he's bringing his art to Seoul in his first solo exhibition in Korea.
Although he got his start as a fine art painter in a small gallery, Lau is perhaps most famous
for a series of collectable figurines based on his "Gardener" comic book series from 1998.
Lau drew heavily on his interest in street culture and design to create the series, which
became an instant favorite among the locals.
His blend of hip-hop and skateboarding culture took another leap forward when he was asked
to make several of his comic book characters into figurines for The Hong Kong Toy Show
that same year.
At around 6 to 12 inches tall, the figurines represented characters from the comic, from
tattoo artists to medical students and boutique shop owners.
The figurines were an instant hit and he was then given the chance to mass produce the
toys.
By 1999, the figurines were selling out as soon as a new one was released.
Since then, he has turned the creative project into a successful art toy franchise that has
seen him collaborating with major clothing and shoe brands.
After starting with just 12 figurines, he has since expanded the collection to 113 with
more to come.
The exhibition at the Sejong Center features all of his "Gardner" series figurines including
a two-hundred-eighty-meter tall figure of the character Tattoo and his newest figure
Sculptura M David and various sketches and paintings.
Mr. Lau said he is happy to be exhibition his work in Seoul.
"I'm very happy to have my first big solo exhibition in Seoul. The theme of the exhibition
is Art Toys and I've brought figures from my most well-known seires, the 'Gardener'
series, for Korean audiences, and several other pieces."