A large crowd was seen at the Hong Kong MTR subway station in Central on Hong Kong Island earlier this week. Drawing this crowd was a ginger-haired man in doodle-covered clothing cover a model of a silver spaceship with his signature scribbles.
The man’s name is Sam Cox – but he is better known as Mr Doodle. The British artist is known for his freehand graffiti, a mass of swirls and squiggles in a style reminiscent of American artist Keith Haring or English illustrator Martin Handford’s Where’s Wally? series.
One of Cox’s most notable projects is his Doodle House in Kent, England, every part of which – think ceilings, walls, bedrooms, kitchen and even the stove – has been covered in hand-drawn shapes and characters, a process which took Cox two years to complete.
Better known as Mr Doodle, British artist Sam Cox first started drawing at the age of three and developed his signature style at 15 years old. Photo: Pearl Lam Galleries
On Instagram, the corresponding stop-motion video has over 7 million views; Mr Doodle himself has almost three million followers on the platform.
“My mission is to doodle the world,” Cox says.
The artist’s performance at the MTR station is part of a takeover of Hong Kong which includes a display of his work at the K11 Musea shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon and the “Mr Doodle in Space” exhibition at Pearl Lam Galleries in Pedder Building, Central.
There, visitors join characters Mr and Mrs Doodle as they make their way to DoodleLand to stop Mr Doodle’s evil twin, Dr Scribble, from ridding the universe of doodles.
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The artist’s goal is to create works that bring universal joy. “I want people to smile at the work,” he says. “It’s nice to create these characters that anyone from around the world can recognise … anyone from any walk of life can usually pick something within the drawing that they can see and understand.
“[It] can make them happy and bring some joy into their day and make them feel like a kid again.”
Ever since a video of Cox doodling the inside of a shop in London went viral in 2017, the artist has become a cult figure of sorts and has a global, loyal fan base.
Gallerist Pearl Lam and art collector Ji Hyuk-im in front of two Mr Doodle paintings he has collected: “Mr and Mrs Doodle Prepare for Baby Doodle” (2023) and “Chicken Chicken Doodle” (2023). Photo: Courtesy of Ji Hyuk-im
In Hong Kong, the artist was swarmed by fans while eating at a dai pai dong (open-air food stall), which led the stall owner to ask if he was a Hollywood star. Although Cox is not, he is enough of a celebrity to have needed bodyguards to escort him out of the packed MTR station.
Gallerist Pearl Lam has exclusive global representation of Mr Doodle. To those who know her, the pairing comes across as odd – Lam built her career by representing Chinese and Asian contemporary artists and, by her own admission, she rarely does the same for young Western artists. But when she saw Cox’s work, she was immediately reminded of an Asian painting style.
“The first thing I thought of was Chinese ink brush. Because when he does his doodling, he never corrects. In brush painting, you can’t correct,” she says.
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Representing Mr Doodle is a way for her to introduce this art philosophy to a younger generation, and a way of leaning into how technology has changed the art world.
“All the traditional galleries like myself, people in the art world, we’re learning every day,” Lam says. “Whether we want to reject it or not, [social media] is pushed in your face.
Indeed, social media allows artists to reach people far and wide. Hong Kong illustrator Jasontommy, who also creates fun, black-and-white works on large surfaces, first became a Mr Doodle fan over five years ago after discovering him on Instagram.
Installation view of “Mr Doodle in Space” at Pearl Lam Galleries, in Central. Photo: Pearl Lam Galleries
“The first time I saw his works, I was very inspired by how he could make it a performance art, not just strictly a canvas or 2D painting,” Jasontommy says.
The fact that he found someone on the other side of the world also creating similar doodle-style works in black and white also lent a sense of camaraderie, Jasontommy adds.
“Just with one colour, you can fill the entire canvas. With just one pen, you can express a lot of detail [and emotion]. I really like this direct method of expression.”
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After following Cox’s career for years, Jasontommy got to meet the British artist for the first time, after watching Mr Doodle’s MTR live performance.
What he appreciates most about Mr Doodle is his process and storytelling ability, he says.
“When he’s drawing, it feels like his mind is already set, a bit like playing chess. He already knows what he will draw in his next – or even third or fourth – steps.”
Installation view of “Mr Doodle in Space” at Pearl Lam Galleries, in Central. Photo: Pearl Lam Galleries
As with all things that become popular, there is the question of longevity – of whether Mr Doodle’s works will remain in demand once people move on to the next art sensation.
Lam is unconcerned.
“Everybody’s career, no matter if you’re an artist [or not], you have ups and downs. If you don’t go down, you never become better,” Lam says. “The problem is when artists give up.
“Mr Doodle in Space”
Pearl Lam Galleries, 601-605 Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central
Mon-Sat, 10am-7pm. Until January 20, 2024.
Registration is required. Please visit the gallery website for details.