Iran-born Steve Lawler “Mojoko” was raised in Hong Kong, educated in Europe and has lived in Singapore since 2003.

His artist name “Mojoko” actually came from the printing process CMYK.

“I was playing with colour values on my computer and I noticed M=0 Y=0 K=0. It just resonated with me. And it felt like it could be African or Japanese or Indonesian, so I loved that versatility of the moniker.”

“I must have started collecting around the late 1990s, everything from Rave flyers, typography, vintage catalogues and stuff like that. It just became a habit to seek out the obscure things in flea markets and jumble sales.

I used to make scrapbooks and then anything that wasn’t cut up was put into a kind of filing system. I keep on searching for new (old) things. That’s what keeps me going and triggers inspiration.

And yes, online has become a valuable resource for finding things, but in Asia there is very little 1960s and 1970s pop culture documented online. You have to dig for that the old-fashioned way.”

To the artist, Hong Kong has a huge influence in terms of the overload on the senses.

“The neon lights, the volume of people, the sights and smells were abundant. The energy is infectious and the juxtaposition of Western and Asian culture is everywhere – Chinese movies with English subtitles, Rambo movie posters with Chinese typography.”

He also observed a lot of contrast in Hong Kong, from new and old, high and low, gritty and glamorous, rich and poor.

 

Together with his global experiences, his art is created to pop and dazzle your eyes!

Original article: https://yachtstyle.co/inside-the-mind-of-mojoko