Exhibition Time: April 2nd - April 13th, 2022

Michael Lau, who graduated from an art and design academy in Hong Kong in 1992, held his first solo exhibition at the Pao Galleries in Hong Kong Arts Center the following year. Continuously creating, he reached a pivotal moment in 1999 when he combined his imagination in graphic art with his love for G.I. Joe action figures and the growing street culture. This resulted in the successful creation of the figure named “Gardener”, which was showcased in an exhibition of 99 twelve-inch figures at the Hong Kong Art Center. His passionate and accomplished approach to figure creation in this exhibition attracted international attention. Subsequently, his “art toys” toured various cities in Japan, contemporary art museums in Taipei and Shanghai, as well as some art centers in London and Paris. From then on, Michael Lau gained widespread recognition as an independent creator, leading a global trend in designer toy collectibles. In the article “20 Trends Sweeping the Globe” featured in the January 2008 Forbes magazine, it credited Lau as the inventor who masterminded the vinyl-figure craze.

The exhibition “COLLECT THEM ALL!” at Beijing Guardian Art Center presents Michael Lau’s latest works from the past two years. Through the four series titled “Method”, “First Encounter”, “Soliloquy”, and “Mad Child”, the artist showcases his reflections on society, insights into life, and introspection of the self during these two years of global standstill. Among them, a 5.5-meter large-scale painting pays tribute to the master, Pablo Picasso. In today’s world, ravaged by pandemics and plagued by conflicts, with the ever-changing international landscape, can we unite as individuals to overcome these challenges together? This artwork represents the artist’s hope and aspiration.