The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion

Posted: 22 Sep 2011 03:32 PM PDT

Pop artist Stephen Lau readies up his first solo exhibition Hatters.

AS FAR as homegrown pop art mavericks are concerned, Stephen Lau is definitely a name to keep an eye on.

Already a familiar figure among multi-media art practitioners, guerilla designers and the indie music community here, the Ipoh-raised, Klang Valley-based artist is set to raise his profile with the official launch of his first solo pop art exhibition Hatters: Stay Awake And Listen To The Dark tomorrow at Publika, Solaris Dutamas in Kuala Lumpur at 3.30pm.

"Hatters is an illustration storybook based loosely on my childhood. You could say it's a self-imagined world of peace, to be precise. Not fantasy. This project has been with me for ages but it's only in the last six months that I have been able to concentrate fully on it, building up the characters and storylines," said Lau ahead of his exhibition.

He has taken 10 years in the local scene to build up a sizeable portfolio and Hatters is considered as his labour of love.

"It's my very first solo exhibition and I hope to take this nationwide and to also have launches in the region."

The Hatters book is still a work-in-progress project (due mid next year) but Lau, 30, is using tomorrow's launch as a sneak preview of his work. He has drawn up 20 exclusive Hatters prints for the exhibition, three poly-resin sculptures (art toys), T-shirts, bean bags, posters and assorted merchandise – all in a limited edition run.

According to Lau, Hatters is centred on a group of three enchanting fictional creatures, with humans, monsters and animals at the heart of the story. He concluded, "These creatures have a magic hat, and they live in land of peace."

Hatters is a free admission event from 3.30pm onwards tomorrow. Full address: Star Box 31, Block D4, Publika, Solaris Dutamas in KL.

For more info, browse (www.stephenlau.co/hatters/).

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Jumaat, 23 September 2011