Michael Lau (L文 Liu Jianwen) is an artist and designer from Hong Kong who became famous for his illustrations and designer toy class figures. Lau is known to the general public as the founder of urban vinyl, the so-called "Toys for adults." His work has had a significant impact on the toy industry, known as street culture , on artists and musicians around the world. His style is partially inspired by the cultures of Asia and America , as well as the cultures of hip-hop and skaters . Michael Lau's work has won several prestigious awards and prizes, including four from the Philippe Charriol Foundation in Hong Kong.
Lau began his career in 1992 as a graduate of Design First Institute (Hong Kong). Some of his works were exhibited in small galleries in Hong Kong, after which Lau decided to try himself as a window designer. He worked in this area until he moved to the advertising business . In 1997 , Lau received an invitation to become an illustrator of the cover of the electronic music album Anodize. In 1998, Lau began drawing comics in his personal Gardener column in East Touch Magazine (published in Hong Kong), which contributed to his current status. The characters featured in these comics took their origin from his main series of collectible vinyl figures.
In 1999, his work gained enough popularity to attract the attention of Sony Corporation, which exclusively distributed Gardener in Asia. Lau signed a contract with Sony for a period until 2003 . During this period, Lau continued to work on his projects, creating illustrations and vinyl figures (vinyl figures) in a style influenced in many respects by the art of graffiti .
In addition, Lau worked with hip-hop group LMF from Hong Kong, creating a series of miniatures based on the theme of this group. He created a series of urban vinyl figures such as Crazychildren and Lamdog in single copies. His works are extremely rare and highly regarded by collectors around the world; his miniatures are the rarest of all the exclusive figures of the designer toys direction.
In 2004, Michael Lau opened his own gallery in Hong Kong called michael.