Spring is in full bloom in Shanghai, where the iconic scribbles of Mr Doodle unfold a charming love story at chi K11 art museum.

TEXT: CoBo Editorial
IMAGES: Courtesy of the artist and chi K11 art museum

If you’re in dire need of a reminder that love truly does exist even in the state of this world—and if you happen to find yourself in Shanghai—then we highly recommend checking out “Mr Doodle in Love”, the first landmark solo museum show of Sam Cox, who goes by the moniker Mr Doodle, which debuted at chi K11 art museum on 2 March.

Curated by Dimitri Ozerkov, Director of the Contemporary Art Department at St. Petersburg’s State Hermitage Museum, the show brings together 108 new paintings by the British artist, amassed from collectors around the world. With love at its core and doodle as the medium, the exhibition traces the evolution of the love story between the artist and Mrs Doodle (aka Alena Cox), with whom he tied the knot last year.

“The inspiration for this exhibition is most definitely my wife, Mrs Doodle. The exhibition is a visual biography of our lives together throughout our first year of marriage,” says Cox of the exhibition. “It was our shared love of art that first brought us together so it feels very natural to create work together.”

Through the works on display, visitors are able to catch glimpses of the couple’s everyday life, where the palette changes from monotonous black-and-white tones to colourful hues of the present as their love story unfolds. Following the pieces that are endearingly taken from nicknames Cox has for his wife, the amorous parade continues with the couple’s wedding attire, which are displayed in public for the very first time.

A featured section of the exhibition, “The Mr Doodle Living Room”, is adorned with doodled walls and furniture, taking the eccentric doodles off the canvas and into real life. The section also invites visitors to take part in the artist’s creative process with the stickers provided upon entry, which can be placed freely around the space.

Staying true to Mr Doodle’s playful manner, the show is designed to be an interactive experience, extending beyond the museum grounds with surprises cheekily hidden across the premise of Shanghai K11. On the ground floor of the cultural landmark, lucky visitors may receive a phone call from the artist himself inside a doodled British-style phone booth, while creative souls will have a blast making their own doodles with the walls and crayons provided on the second floor.

Mr Doodle in Love
2 March – 5 June 2022
chi K11 art museum, Shanghai

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