HONG KONG — Artist Michael Lau is bringing his signature floral characters back to the city’s street-culture scene in “Flowers, Flowers Everywhere!,” a 11-day exhibition co-presented with Carhartt WIP that opens Aug. 13, 2026, at the brand’s Causeway Bay flagship store.
The showcase marks Lau’s latest exploration of the boundary between fine art, designer toys, fashion and popular culture. Known internationally for his “Gardener” figure series from the late 1990s, Lau has spent the past two decades building a visual universe where streetwear aesthetics meet collectible sculpture. This exhibition extends that world into a new medium: flowers reimagined as characters with personalities.
Who Is Michael Lau?
Lau first captured global attention in the late 1990s with his “Gardener” series — stylized figures inspired by himself, his friends and Hong Kong street culture. That collection helped define the designer-toy movement and cemented Lau as one of its most influential figures. His practice later expanded into sculpture, painting, illustration, fashion and brand collaborations, refusing to stay within any single category.
“Flowers, Flowers Everywhere!” embodies that cross-disciplinary approach. Lau treats fine art, commercial design and pop culture as materials for a shared creative playground, rather than separate worlds.
From Human Figures to Flower Portraits
At the exhibition’s core is a simple concept: turning flowers into people. Lau’s paintings depict blooms with oversized eyes and expressive faces. Each flower carries emotions — curiosity, romance, uncertainty, playfulness — transforming botanical imagery into something strangely human.
The series originated during the pandemic, when Lau spent more time at home and became absorbed by the flowers around him. Amid restrictions and uncertainty, the blooms offered color and optimism. But beneath the cheerful surface, the works function as small portraits of human experience. The garden becomes a metaphor for relationships, connection and the search for meaning.
Longtime followers of Lau’s career will recognize this as a natural evolution. The original “Gardener” series created a fictional universe populated by street-fashion-inspired characters. Now, those characters have been replaced by flowers, yet the same narrative impulse remains.
A standout earlier piece, “The Flowery Surprise,” reimagined Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper with flowers replacing the traditional figures — a humorous, contemporary twist typical of Lau’s work.
Why Carhartt WIP?
Choosing Carhartt WIP’s Causeway Bay flagship as the venue is intentional. The brand operates at the intersection of workwear, skateboarding, streetwear and youth culture — overlapping directly with Lau’s creative territory. Rather than placing an art exhibition inside a conventional gallery, the partnership reads as a meeting of two complementary cultures.
The collaboration also includes a Hong Kong-exclusive capsule collection, blending the exhibition’s imagery with streetwear staples. For Lau, the object has always mattered: his career helped blur the lines between artwork, toy, fashion item and collectible.
What to See at the Exhibition
Visitors should first take in the overall visual impact of bright colors and exaggerated forms. Then look closer at individual flowers — their eyes and expressions reveal personalities. Finally, scan for cultural references: Lau frequently weaves in nods to fashion, toys, sports, music and street culture.
The exhibition runs from Aug. 13 to 23, 2026, at the Carhartt WIP flagship, 13 Pak Sha Road, Causeway Bay. It is compact — 30 to 60 minutes suffices for the art, though collectors may linger over the fashion collaboration. Because the show lasts only 11 days, it carries a limited-edition pop-up character.
Why This Exhibition Matters
Lau’s “Gardener” figures demonstrated that collectible toys could occupy a space between art, design and popular culture — an idea now central to contemporary creative culture. “Flowers, Flowers Everywhere!” continues that philosophy in a different form. The works are paintings, characters, cultural references and potential collectibles all at once.
Behind the cheerful title lies an ongoing exploration of identity, emotion and the visual language of Hong Kong street culture. For anyone interested in contemporary art, streetwear or designer toys, this exhibition offers a concise snapshot of one of the city’s most distinctive creative voices — in full bloom.