| All about Michael and Gardenergala Michael Lau is an award-winning, Hong Kong-based artist who has captured the attention of artists, designers, musicians, toy manufacturers and street culture the world over. Michael graduated from the Design First Institute in 1992. He worked as a painter, having some work featured in galleries around Hong Kong. Michael eventually moved on to window display designer and advertising. In 1997 he did his first 3D work on the cover of the Anodize music album. Previously his figure work was only seen by his friends and never put out for display. In 1998 Michael began the Gardner comic strip in East Touch magazine. Eventually all of the characters he illustrated became figures. His primary medium now is the 12" figure. All of the bodies, clothes, accessories and heads are handmade by Michael. He has featured kids, basketball players, graffiti artists, rappers, dj's, skateboarders, snowboarders and wakeboarders in his collections. Their clothes are reflective of many of the top brands in those fields. I.E. His skateboarders wear shoes by DC and clothes by Alphanumeric. His snowboarders ride Burton snowboards. Some even wear very trendy fashions from Bathing Ape, Maharishi, Saru and Zero Nine. There is an understanding of the culture and detail in every figure he has created. His unique approach to the figures, especially the Gardenergala series, comes from an idea. What if the kids living in the Gardenergala universe live their own lives? The figures are free to develop relationships, get married, go to work, move out of town and allow new members to be introduced, etc... Starting with 101 Gardeners, in development since 1998, Michael hopes to continue the Gardener Universe growing. (in 2003 Michael had introduced Gardener 103) In addition to creating a universe around his figures Michael is adamant about what they represent. In Michael's words about the Gardenergala figures: "What is the lifestyle of nowadays? You can find it at Gardenergala.
What is the current trend of street culture? You can find it in Gardenergala.
No booze, No smoke, No drug That's Gardenergala.
We, a group of young people, are living nowadays. We are living in our own world, with our own culture.
We are living under the blue sky. We belong to nowhere and going on our way.
We are the real people and we smile crazily.
And we have 101 different stories." | 
