K11 MUSEA is delighted to present this year’s first art exhibition – SPLENDID PARK by Hong Kong contemporary artist and “Godfather of Designer Toys” Michael Lau. This would be Lau’s debut institutional exhibition of nearly 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. The exhibition opens on February 11 in celebration of the revitalization of Hong  Kong art scene as well as the welcoming of Spring, which simultaneously reinforces the artist’s main concept for this exhibition — “The true beauty of spring always finds its way to thrive beyond the fences” .

Creator of Gardener, an avant-garde figurine series in the 1990s that established a collective scene of Hong Kong street culture, Lau played a pivotal role in leading the global upsurge of collectible designer toys. In the past two decades, he has never ceased documenting pop culture through his art while in recent years, Lau re-visited paintings, the genre rooted in his earlier artistic training for his latest practice, enriching the visual library of contemporary art and bestowing Gardener—the utopia of youth, friendship and fantasy—a more contemporary context. Lau’s evolving practice boldly and precisely fused his formative practice, 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.