Acrylic on canvas

159.5 × 76 × 4 cm. 62 3/4 × 29 7/8 × 1 5/8 in.

Signed in Spanish and dated on the reverse
EXHIBITED
3-8 Dec 2019, Scope International Contemporary Art Show, artCONVEX Gallery, Miami

PROVENANCE
artCONVEX Gallery, Hong Kong
Acquire directly by present important private Asian collector from the above

My Lovely Friends
Coté Escrivá's New Generation Narrative

Born in Spain in 1982, Coté Escrivá studied industrial design at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. After graduating, he became an artist and is well known in the Pop-art industry for his cross-border collaborations. In 2017, he collaborated with Berbrick to create four bear designs. His creations were sold out as soon as the debut. In 2018, he was invited to collaborate with Thunder Mates, a top toy brand in Hong Kong, to transform his famous art pieces such as Garfield, into limited edition figurines. The products were sold on the famous gaming platforms Dope! and Behance, both of which were platforms recognized by contemporary collectors. Escrivá was brought up in an environment deeply influenced by American culture. Such influence is depicted in his creations featuring American cartoons and street art. His works are a hybrid of comic characters and traditional Spanish elements. As seen in his famous pieces, characters such as Popeye, Goofy, and Snoopy are often featured. In Spain, the skeleton is a traditional symbol for the motif of death. It represents the celebration of life through its contrastive symbolism. Escrivá's incorporation of the skeleton into cartoon characters is his unique style of dark humour influenced by his Spanish roots.

Totem Friends was once presented at the Miami Scope Exhibition as the most significant work of Coté Escrivá. With Garfield as the protagonist, the story of his friendship with Odie the hound and Pooky the bear is manifested. In the irregular three-dimensional picture that differs from the traditional framework, Garfield occupies the centre position. He opens his arms and looks at the viewer contentedly, showing off his extraordinary friendship while Odie stretches his tongue and enjoys his friends' accompany. At the bottom, there is Pooky, Garfield's teddy bear toy. It does not speak, but looks at the viewer ignorantly, proving himself as Garfield's most loyal companion. The work outlines the three protagonists with smooth lines. The skilful depiction of facial expressions reflects the temperaments of the three. Against the backdrop of bright and lively colours, a modern version of the childhood narrative comes into view. The limbs of Garfield and Odie expose skeletal bones under films of X-rays. The eyes of the characters are hollow like skeletons, showing the complexity of the world behind the sweet picture and bringing out the message that one should exhibit a joyous and positive attitude before facing the menacing dark shadows in life.

Price estimate:
HKD: 40,000 - 80,000
USD: 5,100 - 10,200

Auction Result:
HKD: 48,000