Born in Iran, raised in Hong Kong and educated in Europe, Mojoko is best known for diversified career in curation, installation, interactive design and fine art.

 By Julia Roxan

Steve Lawler, better known as Mojoko, was born in Iran, raised in Hong Kong and educated in Europe – where he attended the prestigious FABRICA art residency in Treviso, Northern Italy in 2001, before kickstarting his interactive design career at Diesel HQ.

Catapulting through the industry as an Artist, Designer, Art Director and Creative Director, Mojoko established the Kult Magazine, Gallery and Studio, quickly building a reputation for his diversified career in curation, installation, interactive design and fine art.

Having worked with a global network of over 600 phenomenal artists, designers and animators, Mojoko is now the Creative director of The Unusual Network, an international collection of creators, where he is responsible for the quarterly publication of EYEYAH! – an illustrated guide to the world for kids (and kidults).

How Trash TV and Hong Kong Design Sense Inspired Mojoko’s Iconic Career

You are British, born in Iran and you spent your youth in Hong Kong. Quite a start in life! It seems that Hong Kong has always had a lasting influence on your art, why is the city your muse?

Hong Kong was an overload on the senses, the neon lights, the volume of people, the sights and smells were intense. The energy is infectious and the juxtaposition of Western and Asian culture was everywhere, Chinese movies with English subtitles, Rambo movie posters with Chinese typography. I found it fascinating and still do. There is definitely an air of nostalgia about it for me, but it was so futuristic and still does feel like one of the most exciting cities in the world.

Your art is strongly inspired by B-movies, trash TV, and alternative culture. When did it all begin?

I think it was born by rejection of the mainstream. I always hated pop music and big Hollywood films. I found alternative music and culture much more exciting and unusual. For example in a VHS video rental store, I was much more glamoured by the graphics and titles of the weird sections than the blockbuster films. They were much more intriguing and explicit.

Which is your favourite medium to work with? Has collage always been at the very core of your creative process?

Everything I do has an element of collage, it’s the interplay between two separate ideas which create a spark. The creative process is very much started by linking two previously unlinked ideas. This idea multiplies with more and more elements, so the trick is to try and control or guide it so that your concept or theme is understood.

Tell us more about the incredible collection of comic books, 80s advertisements, B-grade movie posters you have amassed over the years. When did you start to collect these? Are these still easy to find or are you now more looking for references and inspiration online?

I must have started collecting around late 90’s. Everything from Rave flyers, typography, vintage catalogues and that just became a habit to seek out the obscure things in flea markets and jumble sales. I used to make scrapbooks and then anything that was not cut up was put into a kind of filing system. I still keep on searching for new (old) things, that’s what keeps me going and triggers inspiration. And yes online has become a valuable resource for finding things, but in Asia there is very little 60s,70’s pop culture documented online, you have to dig for that the old fashioned way.