Steven Harrington addresses social issues through groovy art at Amorepacific museum

Arts & Design

Published: 30 Mar. 2024, 07:10

Steven Harrington addresses social issues through groovy art at Amorepacific museum

″Getting Away (Alive)″ (2021) by Steven Harrington [AMOREPACIFIC MUSEUM OF ART]

The animated dog-like character Mello and its palm tree sidekick Lulu are the stars in Los Angeles-based artist Steven Harrington’s artworks. Though the vivid illustrations are set in fantastical wonderlands, the stories behind them are more relatable than meets the eye.

Visitors can now learn about Mello and Lulu’s adventures in Harrington’s first solo exhibition in Korea at the Amorepacific Museum of Art in Yongsan District, central Seoul.

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The title, “Stay Mello,” is a play on words on not only the alter ego of Harrington but also a “gentle reminder to stay calm and to be present within the trying times of today,” the artist said in a press preview at the museum earlier this month.

Harrington’s artworks, with over 100 prints, paintings, installations, drawings and videos on view, feature distinctive psychedelic-pop images filled with flamboyant googly-eyed creatures among sceneries inspired by the California landscape.

Despite their easygoing and comic book-like impressions, his works are based on life’s balance, anxiety and the subconscious. Harrington expresses such themes through Mello, which was created back in 2015, symbolizing a figure that surpasses race, age and gender to be able to connect with anyone in the world.

Steven Harrington speaks to reporters during the press conference for his solo exhibition ″Stay Mello″ at the Amorepacific Museum of Art last week. [SHIN MIN-HEE]

“I had this idea of wanting to really design a character that was free from human-related forms,” he said. “Mello is a character that could relate to anyone regardless of your age, your ethnicity and of where you are within the planet, hopefully. Therefore, the character could freely express himself and be used as a vessel or a tool to discuss topics that are more global and just not specifically to me being American.”

Mello can invite the audience to “stop to smell the flowers” in his acrylic painting series of the same name, showing the character surrounded by a bed of vibrant flowers in six different versions.

″Stop to Smell the Flowers No. 5″ (2023) by Steven Harrington [AMOREPACIFIC MUSEUM OF ART]

The “Current Affairs” series (2022-23) depicts Mello’s concern about global warming in settings like the ocean and jungle.

Both series created in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mello’s friendly and joyful demeanor is a reminder to appreciate the beauty in the world.

“My work is about just trying to have this open dialogue to create connection and to find a collective meaning within what’s around us as we experience our day-to-day lives,” Harrington said. “I found that there was something very powerful within more vibrant and playful and cartoon-esque-type iconography. It’s able to really speak and invite the viewer in a very playful and uplifting way to talk about more serious topics.”

″A Way Into″ by Steven Harrington [AMOREPACIFIC MUSEUM OF ART]

Installation view of Steven Harrington's solo exhibition ″Stay Mello″ [AMOREPACIFIC MUSEUM OF ART]

The jolliness coming from his works is actually based on Harrington’s own experiences with anxiety. He found painting them was “very helpful and meditative” in overcoming it all.

“I started developing these cartoon strips that were designed to almost make fun of my personal anxieties that I was going through at the moment, and kind of told myself that all of those pressures and anxieties that I had within my mind were just a figment of my own doings,” he said.

Another method of healing his mind and developing his creative process was through collaborations with big brands, such as Nike, Uniqlo, Ikea, and the latest, Innisfree, which is a cosmetics company under the Amorepacific Group.

″Steven Harrington X BAPE″ (2023) [AMOREPACIFIC MUSEUM OF ART]

″Steven Harrington X NIKE Air Force 1″ [AMOREPACIFIC MUSEUM OF ART]

“Sometimes I’ll get requests to create something that I wouldn’t typically create, and I found that over time I’ll stumble upon something that I wouldn’t make if I was just in the studio working on my own,” Harrington said.

The collaboration products are also on view at the exhibition.

“Stay Mello” continues until July 14. The Amorepacific Museum of Art is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except Mondays. Tickets are 16,000 won ($12) for adults.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]