MTH 潮人访谈 / AN INTERVIEW WITH THE HYPES! - Michael Lau

我们感到非常荣幸能有Michael Lau出席其本人在Zinc的Michael Lau x MINDstyle- Family Tradition艺术展。当然MTH也把握这个千载难逢的机会与其本人做了一段访谈。所有想了解更多有关Michael Lau的粉丝，马上看看这个星级的潮人访谈吧！

It’s been a pleasure to have Michael Lau over to Zinc for his "Michael Lau x MINDstyle- Family Tradition Art Exhibition" as it is a difficult one to have him over, hence we MTH have taken this chance to do an interview with him. For those Michael Lau fans in Malaysia who had never really know him much but loved to know him more, check out the interview now!




Q: 对于Gardener在今年和明年有什么计划吗?

A: 我一定会在香港搞多一次Gardener的展览，并把Gardener介绍给新一代的年轻人认识，毕竟Gardener已是十年前的作品了，同时我也希望将Gardener带到中国及韩国给当地的年轻人认识。至于吉隆坡，这已是我第二次来这里了，比起第一次我来的时候已改变了很多，我也很喜欢Zinc这个地方，希望将来可以再有更多的搞作在这里进行。

Q: 其实由你自己进行创作开始直到在香港拥有一间属于自己的画廊，当中是怎么样的呢？

A: 其实我的画廊比较像是我的私人空间，一个与朋友们和粉丝们见面和交谈的地方，那里并没有其他人的作品。所以对我来说，这个画廊的空间绝对让我更享受进行自己的绘画和创作。

Q: 你平时怎么安排你的日常规划呢?

A: 我并没有什么特别的日常规划，每天的主要时间都在踢足球，很少时间工作，哈哈。我喜欢惊喜，作为创作人我不喜欢太规划的生活，创作应该要比较自由吧。



Q: 如果从今天开始算起至十年后，你的创作及整个Gardener系列都会跟着变得成熟起来吗?

A: 我想Gardener是不应该改变的，它们绝对记录了当时的历史。例如当时流行的运动，时尚，品牌及当时年轻人的一切，我希望Gardener能成为历史的见证。而我自己方面，我觉得我的创作也没有停留在某些时候，这么多年也转了很多不同的方向。

Q: 你觉得这个圈子在十年间有什么变化吗?

A: 我认为很多人正等着新的潮流出现。在之前的一段爆炸时期，很多不同的艺术家都一一涌现。有些还在这个圈子里，有些已不在了，还有一些已成为经典了，我也是其中一个。同时，我也在想着谁将会是下一个爆发出来的。

Q: 既然要等待下一个新人的出现，为什么你不创造一个新的潮流呢？

A: 其实最初创作Gardener的时候，我并没想过要创造什么潮流的，我只是做自己喜欢做的东西而已，没想到就这样创造了这个潮流。将来也不会想创造些什么并把它变成潮流，只要享受于创作自己喜欢及相信的东西就好了，潮流是不可能计算得到的。

Q: 那么你的灵感来源与十年前有什么变化吗?

A: 其实灵感来源一直以来都是一样，任何东西都可以是灵感来源。只要细心观察某样东西最小的一点，并把它"小题大作"，那就是我十年前到现在一直以来寻找灵感的方式。无论我创作的是什么，一定要有自己的风格在里面就对了。



Q: 介于商业及艺术之间，你是怎样平衡你的创作呢？

A: 我当初并没有把自己定位在所谓的艺术家身份，每一样东西都可以是艺术，只是看自己怎么去衡量商业及艺术。老实说，我很享受我现在做的东西，我不想去特地区分商业及艺术来生活，生活本身就是一门艺术。

Q: 在这么多的联名合作企划当中，你认为哪个是最有意思的呢？

A: 那当然是MINDstyle及Godfather吧，哈哈。还有和Nike的合作也是我很享受的，因为Nike真的很支持街头艺术，也给我很大的自由去进行创作。最精彩的我认为是Nike在北京的Mr Shoe展览，在充满文化气息的地方有一个那么大的鞋子摆着，相当有趣！同时Nike的Blackball T90联名企划也是很有趣，当时做了9个不同的作品出来。

Q: 有那个品牌你梦寐以求想要合作的吗?

A: 或许几年前我会想这个问题，我想合作的品牌也未必想和我合作。反而我现在想要更多时间专注于自己的独立创作多于与其它品牌的联名。

Q: 有计划要推出12寸公仔吗?

A: 当然有，不过计划方面还不清楚。明年我将有一些惊喜给粉丝们，密切留意吧，哈哈。

Q: 为什么之前会接Godfather这个企划呢?

A: 早于几年前已认识MINDstyle，而他们也拥有Paramount的Godfather版权，我也很喜欢这部经典的电影。当Godfather遇上我这个玩具公仔界的Godfather更是顺理成章了，哈哈。再加上我很喜欢创作拥有强烈个性的人物设计多于一般的俊男美女人物，因为他们实在有太多相像的地方了，很难突出那种强烈的个性。



Q: 对于绘画及制作公仔，你觉得两者之间有什么分别呢?

A: 其实我觉得是一样的，唯一分别是绘画是2D平面，公仔则是3D立体。因为制作公仔时也是要经过同样的步骤，都是由先起稿开始。如果你细心观赏公仔，在不同的灯光下把公仔360度旋转，其实就像360副画一样。所以两者绝对是一样的。

Q: 在之前LA的Gardener 10周年展览有什么趣事可以和大家分享的吗？

A: 最有趣的一定是MINDstyle团队，他们每一人都很有个性，我很高兴与他们合作。在之前我于伦敦，巴黎，东京及台北等地展览的所有经验，我认为要与一班可能不太了解我的团队合作不是一件容易的事，但是MINDstyle团队真的是很好的团队，我很享受与他们合作。
另外，在那里我看见很多我的粉丝。我真的觉得Gardener与当地的文化，生活方式全都很配合。我也遇见一位7尺高的粉丝，没想到他遇见我却很害羞，真有趣，哈哈。还有太多的趣事了，终结来说LA真的很棒！

Q: 对于这次吉隆坡之旅有什么感想吗？

A：我对于吉隆坡还不是太熟悉，不过我一定要尝试这里的美食。我也很喜欢Zinc这个地方，因为在香港真的不可能有这么宽阔的好地方，如果再有机会我一定会回来这里，希望到时再见到大家吧。



Q: What was the plan for the Gardener this year and next?

A: Talking bout the plan of the Gardener for this year and next year, I am definitely thinking bout an exhibition again in HK cause I want to show the Gardener to the new generation. They have not been expose to the original Gardener & at the same time I want to bring them to China and Korea because Gardener has not been publish there & this is my second time here in KL and I found it really developed versus the last time I came. I like this space Zinc so I thought about if there were an alternative, I would love to come back Zinc again.

Q: You owned a gallery in HK, how was it like to move from doing paintings to owning a gallery?

A: Actually my gallery is pretty much my own space to hang around & also my place to meet my friends and fans, its not like a gallery where I host other peoples work. So to me, is pretty much the same but of course I enjoy more space myself where I can do my paintings and all sort of creative work.

Q: What’s your daily schedule?

A: I doesn’t have a schedule for everyday, for a lot of times my main activity would be playing soccer which is my major interest. I don’t like things to be too planned. I quite like surprises cause I think as an artist I had to surprise myself too cause sometimes as an artist, as a person who creates, my art cant really be planned cause art is something pretty spontaneous.



Q: After 10 years, from today onwards, your art & the whole Gardener series, would they mature?

A: I thought I would really like to keep Gardener as it is cause I thought Gardener kind of capture history at the moment, the sports, the fashion & the brands & the younger people. I want to keep the Gardener like a piece of history & during the course of 10 years my creativity had shifted to a lot of directions so Gardener is a collection that I wanted to keep as it is. But at the same time I had to work on among other projects which I changes as well in the course of 10 years.

Q: What you think about the changes has been during the course of 10 years?

A: I basically think a lot of people are waiting for the new trend to come up. There’s a blasting time when a lot of artist appeared, some stayed & some gone & left those more classic ones & I am one who stayed. At the same time, I am thinking who’s the next one to come up.

Q: Why don’t you try to create a new trend instead of waiting for a new comer?

A: I don’t think I intentionally try to create a trend cause when I develop the Gardener, I was just doing what I enjoyed doing. But it was nice that people like it and it became kind of known. So in the future I don’t really think I would really deliberately think bout what to create as a trend cause if you really enjoyed what you are doing & you believed, I think if its really calculated, a trend cant just be created.

Q: What’s your inspiration now compared to 10 years back？

A: Actually the source of inspiration had not been change over the course of 10 years, it has remained the same. To me inspiration is everywhere, inspiration is about observation. To me creativity is about observing all the little details around you & finding the little details and blows it up & that’s how my creativity has been working the whole 10 years & still working right now. I think no matter what I create, it has to be me.



Q: How do you balance your work between commercial & arts?

A: i don’t really want to think myself as an artist who don’t do commercial stuffs. I think everything around me is art & it depends how you guys appreciate it & how commercial & the art factor balance up.
I honestly feel kind of enjoy what I am doing & so I doesn’t really wanted to differentiate or versus what I wanted to do for a living or for arts, so I think a life itself is a piece of art.

Q: Among all the collaborations you have done before, which one’s the most interesting?

A: Of course MINDstyle & Godfather was very interesting, at the same time I really enjoyed working with Nike because Nike is a brand that really supports street arts & they don’t give a lot of restriction to art. So I really enjoyed working with Nike. The most interesting project with Nike so far is Mr. Shoe exhibition in Beijing. I find it really interesting to have a very huge shoe installation in that area & at the same time I also enjoyed the Nike’s Blackball T90 project cause at that time I had created 9 pieces of art or character all by myself.

Q: So what brand that you wish or dream to collaborate with?

A: Maybe a few years back I would think of brands I wanted to work with but I thought those brands may not want to work with me. Instead now I wanted to focus on my own work cause I had been spending a lot of time working with other people’s stuff so I really wanted to have more time for myself to do my own things.

Q: Will there be a plan to issue the 12 inch figure?

A: Yes definitely but I do not know bout the plan yet. But for next year I would have a surprise for the fans, so stay tuned.

Q: Godfather, why godfather?

A: I met MINDstyle a few years back & the opportunity came when MINDstyle get the license from Paramount to do the Godfather figure & when MINDstyle approach me for this project, I feel pretty interesting cause I like the Godfather movie which is an all time classic & cause I am also named the Godfather of the vinyl toy so that’s how I decided to work on the project & I really like to create figurines that had strong character. For when I create a figure, it is important that its face had strong features & character & I doesn’t like doing pretty faces cause to me, their all the same cause its hard to take out the little details on them.



Q: What’s the difference between doing painting & doing figurines?

A: Actually their the same, the only difference is painting is 2D & figurine is 3D. Cause doing figurine, it involves the same process; we have to sketch & sculpt it whereas doing painting is just painting it. They’re pretty much the same. If you take time to appreciate the figurine & turn it 360 degree under the light, it’s in a way giving you 360 pieces of painting. So to me, doing painting & doing figurine it involves pretty much the same process.

Q: What do you think interesting bout LA’s Gardener 10th exhibition?

A: What’s interesting is when I met the MINDstyle crew, to me the crew is full of character & I enjoyed it. From my previous experiences in doing exhibition in London, Paris, Tokyo, Taipei and so on, I find that its not as easy to work with people from outside as they may not understand my style of work but the crew from MINDstyle is really helpful & that’s one thing I really enjoyed.
The second thing that amuses me is when I met with a lot of fans in LA, I felt that actually the Gardener fits LA in terms of culture, living & style. Another thing that amuse me is the fans I met in LA is 7 feet tall & they’re really shy & nervous when met with me & so I found that interesting. In anyways it’s a lot of fun to me in LA.

Q: What’s your expectation coming to KL?

A: I doesn’t know much of KL but firstly I would really like to try the good food & I am really happy to see the space (Referring Zinc) cause to have space like this in HK is almost impossible cause the land is expensive so to see a space like this is almost like a dream come true & also I think about in the future if there is such kind of space, maybe given some opportunity, I would come back. So I hope I would come back again to see you all.





图片 / Image : JD
文字 / Text : Will / Abs