Dear Shaded Viewers,
This autumn, Shenzhen becomes the stage for one of contemporary art’s most vibrant spectacles, as British artist Philip Colbert unleashes his latest city takeover with Eternal Sunshine (16 August – 31 October 2025). For ten weeks, K11 MUSEA is transformed into Colbert’s technicolour playground, where the boundaries between art, fashion, and pop culture dissolve into a surreal, immersive encounter.
At the heart of the exhibition stands “Lobster Ice Cream”, an extraordinary 8-metre-high steel sculpture that towers over the space with monumental wit. Fusing Colbert’s signature red lobster — his alter ego and artistic avatar — with a whimsical swirl of ice cream, the work exemplifies his ongoing dialogue between consumer culture, surrealism, and the language of symbols. It is both absurd and profound, playful and monumental, inserting a childlike fantasy into the public arena with the bold conviction of Pop Art.
Also featured is “The Lobster Painter”, a 4-metre sculpture that has become one of Colbert’s most recognizable works. Together, these monumental figures set the stage for what he calls his “Lobster Universe” — a parallel world where the lobster, one of art history’s enduring symbols from Dali to Duchamp, becomes a vehicle for contemporary myth-making.
Hailed by critics as “the godson of Andy Warhol”, Colbert has built a global reputation for his ability to revive and reimagine Pop Art for the 21st century. His work draws on a wide field of cultural references, spanning Renaissance painting, Raymond Pettibon, consumer iconography, and the infectious boldness of digital-age aesthetics.
With collaborations that extend into fashion, music, and design, Colbert blurs the line between high art and popular culture. His pop-up universes have been staged in leading cultural cities worldwide, from London to Seoul, Venice to Hong Kong, where audiences are invited not just to view, but to step inside his creations. This spirit of accessibility — of art as an extension of everyday life — is central to his practice.
The lobster, his recurring motif, began as a playful alter ego but has since evolved into an entire cosmos through which Colbert channels questions of existence, identity, and culture. “The lobster is both ridiculous and profound,” Colbert suggests. “It carries the history of Surrealism, but in today’s world, it can speak to our obsession with icons and symbols just as much as it can be a form of self-portrait.”
With Eternal Sunshine, Colbert isn’t simply mounting an exhibition — he is staging an urban takeover. By enveloping K11 MUSEA in his lobster world, he brings a form of visual optimism and audacious creativity into the heart of Shenzhen. The immersive scope of this project continues his ambition to democratize contemporary art: a belief that art should not remain confined to the walls of museums but rather spill out into the city itself, becoming part of the fabric of daily life.
The result is a glowing beacon of surreal positivity — a reminder of playfulness, fantasy, and imagination’s enduring place in our shared cultural landscape.
Later,
Diane
