Mr Doodle (aka Sam Cox) has opened his first landmark museum solo exhibition, Mr Doodle in Love at Shanghai K11.
Showcasing 108 new paintings by the artist amassed from not less than 10 countries across almost all continents, Mr Doodle in Love is an unprecedented exhibition of such a large scale by the artist. Both black-and-white and coloured paintings are introduced, celebrating the artist’s romantic love journey evolving from the monotonous black-and-white tones to the present multi-coloured palette after marrying fellow artist Mrs Doodle (Alena Cox) in 2021. Visitors can immerse in Mr Doodle’s super DoodleWorld and enjoy the surprises hidden all over Shanghai K11 by the artist, including surprise phone calls from Mr Doodle inside of the British-style doodled telephone booth installed on the GF of Shanghai K11.
“My intention has always been to create a universal doodle language that can relate to and attract people from all over the world,”
says Mr Doodle.
With love at the core and doodle as the medium, the exhibition traces the evolution of the lovebirds’ romantic journey through the use of colour which changes from monotonous black-and-white tones to the present colourful palette as their story unfolds. The works are arranged in chronological order, documenting the couple’s love journey, and the artist’s transformation in terms of subject matters, creative direction, and the use of colours.
A featured section at the exhibition, The Mr Doodle Living Room, is adorned with doodle stickered walls and furniture, creating an immersive environment for visitors to soak in the super DoodleWorld filled with love and happiness. Visitors can participate in Mr Doodle’s creative process by adding stickers received upon entry to the walls and furniture.
While visitors immerse in Mr Doodle’s world and experience how the couple’s everyday life is reflected in his oeuvre, the amorous parade continues with Mr Doodle’s wedding suit and Mrs Doodle’s wedding dress, which are on public view for the very first time allowing visitors a peek at the couple’s wedding.
Romance invades every corner of Shanghai K11 during the exhibition with Mr Doodle’s whimsical doodles noodling throughout. The classic English backdrop is a nod to the artist’s origin. Visitors may try their luck to see if they will receive surprise calls from Mr Doodle inside of the British-style telephone booth on the GF of Shanghai K11, and Mr Doodle will also receive the postcards collected from the visitors at the exhibition. On the 2F of Shanghai K11, there are romantic walls for visitors to doodle on with the crayons provided. Check out even more surprises from the featured programme A Love Odyssey during the show!
Mr Doodle in Love is part of Shanghai K11’s A Love Odyssey campaign, representative of K11’s key brand elements, namely, art, people and nature. As an art playground, K11 brings joy and happiness by introducing museum-quality art that transcends cultures and languages.
Mr Doodle in Love – June 5th, 2022 chi K11 Art Museum B3 floor, Shanghai K11 Art Mall, No. 300, Middle Huaihai Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai
About the artist
Mr Doodle began consuming the Earth’s surface with doodles a little time after he was born in 1994. He started out by covering his parents’ furniture with doodles and eventually his whole bedroom until he realised his home wasn’t a big enough canvas and he began doodling on the walls of local fast food restaurants and schools. During his career, Mr Doodle has constructed a whole new visual phenomenon: his DoodleWorld, where he manifests his vision of the world, producing mesmerising and dense clusters of characters, objects and patterns that grow and multiply relentlessly.
Mr Doodle began to garner recognition in the art world in 2017 and has since seen a meteoric rise in interest in his work. He stands at the forefront of a new art wave, taking the online art community by storm with a mass social media following. Truly a millennial artist, his works provoke discourse on what we consider fine art today.
Mr Doodle’s works transcend beyond the canvas, invading furniture, big surfaces, clothing, and more. Like other artists of his generation, he also explored a number of collaborations with iconic brands, including Fendi, Puma, Samsung and MTV to begin with. But where Mr Doodle separates himself is in his sense of purpose: a deep and obsessive compulsion to expand and share his vision of his DoodleWorld. As a form of release or meditation, his process is fluid, therapeutic, unrestrained, and without hesitation, as if channeling directly from his world into ours with great stamina. He ultimately seeks to spread a sense of wonder, happiness, and love. “My intention has always been to create a universal doodle language that can relate to and attract people from all over the world.” – Mr Doodle
Recent solo exhibitions include Doodle Kyoto (2019), Shimadai Gallery, Kyoto, Japan; Doodle Tokyo (2019), Daikanyama Hillside Forum, Tokyo, Japan; and Doodle World (2018), ARA Art Center, Seoul, South Korea.
