Acrylic on canvas

30.5 × 91.5 cm. 12 × 36 in.

Signed in English on bottom right
EXHIBITED
4 Jul – 9 Sep 2018, Doodle World, ARA Art Center, Seoul

PROVENANCE
Important Private Collection, Asia

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued and signed by the artist

Decrypting Mr Doodle VS. Dr Scribble
Rhapsody Beyond the Self

With his dense graffiti being well-known around the world, Mr Doodle, born in 1994, can be described as an unstoppable rising star in the art world in recent years. With his uniquely creative style, Mr Doodle held his first solo exhibition at the Hoxton Gallery in London in 2016, attracting the attention of many from the outside world. The following spring, he launched a marathon-style-'50 hour of impromptu creating', which garnered even more popularity and fame. From 2018 to 2020, Mr Doodle has collaborated with multiple well-known brands, such as Samsung, Fendi, Puma, and has held large-scale solo exhibitions all over the world, such as in Seoul, Tokyo, and Kyoto. These events have caused his reputation to rise rapidly, increasing his following on Instagram and making him one of the most sought-after artists by new generation collectors.

The Fine Line Between Fantasy and Artistic Rationality

This auction features two special pieces by Mr Doodle: Winner (Lot2) and Fishbone (Lot 1). They are different from his usual art style, with a deliberately strong tension between the bold black and white forms. If one looks closely at the signature on the work, it is not signed by Mr Doodle, but Dr Scribble. According to the artist's statement, Dr Scribble is the twin brother of Mr Doodle. Whilst Mr Doodle holds a black marker pen in his right hand on a white canvas, Dr Scribble creates waves on a black canvas with a white marker pen in his left hand. Similar to the non-fiction novel The Minds of Billy Milligan, the presence of an alter ego allows the artist's imagination to break boundaries. In 2017, Dr Scribble even created an Instagram account under his name, where he published works and gained supporters independently from Mr Doodle.

Similar to the cute and devilish children drawn by Yoshitomo Nara, the shaping and creation of the personality image of Dr Scribble have created an interesting façade of Mr Doodle's self, releasing another aspect of graffiti art. Graffiti has multiple complex features, such as Keith Haring's criticism of social issues, or Banksy's mockery of war and human nature. The humorous and unruly truth is that graffiti forces us to have a more comprehensive view of the world of life. Graffiti, under the contrast of the dual identities of Mr Doodle and Dr Scribble, realizes the madness of transcending the artist's self and the process of transitioning to an alter ego, which praises the true and vivid appearance of human nature and life.

Deep Sea Adventure to Another World

In Fish Bones through decisive and confident writing, Dr Scribble presents us with an underwater world full of adventure and surprise. The large fish bones are transverse to the main axis, radiating from the center to the outside, adding movement to the outside in a stable horizontal composition. Its sides are full of marine life of all shapes and sizes: some resemble squids and pufferfish in their defensive stances; some resemble moray eels and sticklebacks vigorously hunting with their slippery bodies.

In Dr Scribble's writings, the ocean is not exactly the joyous and harmonious place as Mr Doodle describes. Under the calm surface, the undercurrent is surging and is full of vigor, vitality, and authenticity. In the deepest part of the seabed, large fish become fishbones and smaller creatures become the masters. This cycle fully represents how one's sacrifice can pave the way for the survival of millions, or in other words: the cycle of life on Earth.

Strike Hard to Win

In Winner, the scene is set at an exciting boxing arena where the duality of victory and defeat, resistance and power are displayed, creating a sense of visual disorder along with the abstract linear structure, similar to Pablo Picasso's ‘Guernica'. Following Dr Scribble's paintbrush, which breaks the boundaries of time and space, each of the five boxers demonstrate highlights of their lives to their audience. The three brave men above show the wonderful moments of attack, victory, and reward: the protagonist stands in the center of the ring with a glove in his hand, which seems to show the glory of victory; On the left, another boxer is holding the trophy up high with his valorous hands and two arrows pointing towards his strong body. In contrast, the losers are scattered around, expressed in Cubism-inspired structures and complex faces. As in many situations, life is like a play and the winner is the king.

By creating the alternative character of Dr Scribble, Mr Doodle intends to display 2 sides of his graffiti world for his viewers, where feelings, such as joy, anger, sorrow, detachment, madness, violence, and peace are all real. Just as our lives in reality.

Price estimate:
HKD: 95,000 - 150,000
USD: 12,200 - 19,300

Auction Result:
HKD: 456,000