Pharuephon Mukdasanit's Mr Hellyeah is everywhere. The beloved hairy character in different incarnations is gracing picture frames, T-shirts, Converse shoes, art exhibitions, skateboards, bags, furniture, window displays, magazines and iPhone cases to the backside of a famous photographer.
Pharuephon Mukdasanit, aka Mamafaka or MMFK, with Mr Hellyeah.
To say that Pharuephon, aka Mamafaka or MMFK, is a hot commodity wouldn't be an overstatement. "No Cartoon After News Tonight", Pharuephon's first solo mini exhibition which runs until Nov 4, is another proof of his popularity besides being handpicked to feature in Vice TV and Shoes Up (France) among other international media.
On the opening day alone, 90% of the works displayed were snapped up and two large-scale paintings were sold even before being unveiled. The exhibition displays Mr Hellyeah in the guise of well-known cartoon characters, delivering extreme cuteness while posing unanswerable questions and undefined lines between arts and commercialisation at the same time.
"I grew up watching cartoon series after the news. I often questioned what would happen if there weren't any cartoons after the news. What would I be waiting for? I merged Mr Hellyeah with my favourite characters. I think the viewers can look at them, and think that they're cute while some might spot something more eerie lurking underneath," said Pharuephon.
Pharuephon's now iconic Mr Hellyeah came into prominence during the "For Wallpainting" group exhibition in early 2010. An instant hit, the two-eyed hairy monster standing 4m tall loomed large, and it took Pharuephon roughly two weeks to painstakingly hand craft it. But it wasn't the first time that the character saw the light of day.
"A magazine asked me to design a character for its freebie calendar. At that point in time, I was mostly dealing with graphic design, but I wanted to try painting. So I decided to experiment with Mr Hellyeah who was inspired by Babapapa's shape. It didn't pan out well, so I put him on the back burner for a while.
''Then, when I was studying in Australia, a bike shop owner asked me to paint something, so I brought Mr Hellyeah back again, and painted him onto the wall of the shop,'' he said.
''When I was doing the 'For Wallpainting' exhibition, I thought it would be a one off thing, but he got such a good feedback, so I continued to develop him bit by bit.''
Count Hellyeah.
Needless to say, Mr Hellyeah has helped propel Pharuephon's career from a graphic designer to a full-blown, established street artist with a lucrative future ahead of him. But his success wasn't overnight. Pharuephon has spent a decade and counting with B.O.R.E.D., one of the most respected creative collectives in Bangkok, as well as JNSNP, a fixed gear bike crew, and as one of the founders of Urface, a homegrown urban bag company.
Unlike the typical street artists, Pharuephon, 34, trades in the usual swagger for humility and a down to earth temperament. Maybe, growing up as a country boy in Khon Kaen keeps him grounded in the face of his newfound fame and overwhelming recognition.
Pharuephon didn't excel academically, and opted to enroll in a vocational school hoping to follow his father's footsteps in construction business. But when a friend decided to take a tutorial class in arts as a preparation course for an entrance examination, Pharuephon went along out of boredom, and ended up falling in love with the subject. He came out on top of the class, but didn't gain admission, as he didn't manage to score well in other general subjects. He decided to move to Bangkok to study graphic design at Rangsit University.
''I finally found my passion. I was so happy to be studying something that I really loved. I was a nerd, and I did well in school. Also, I didn't want to disappoint my parents who spent good money to send me to school in Bangkok.''
He landed a job with a reputable graphic house right out of university, but the stint would last for only six days. Pharuephon suddenly felt a rush to start something of his own with his close friends. With six other designers, they formed a collective called B.O.R.E.D. in 2002. B.O.R.E.D. is responsible for many spectacular events in terms of visual and graphic elements from Fat Festival to Tiger Translate to name a few. Now all its members are accomplished individuals in various fields of creative industry from lighting design to music video directing.
''We were just bored of trying to be cool. We wanted to do something real. As a collective, we didn't make that much money because we spent a lot on production since we wanted to experiment. Also, with seven people, the cut wasn't that great anyway! B.O.R.E.D. works because we all specialise in different areas. But for the past five years, you might have noticed that we've slowed down a bit as a group since all of us have grown in our own ways. We still get together when there are fun projects to do,'' he said.
In the meantime, to make ends meet, Pharuephon joined Olgilvy&Mather where he stayed for five years before taking a break to study English in Melbourne, where he felt he had everything he needed from arts to music without being too hectic.
''The art scene there really inspired me. I saw how they were able to create without worrying about money too much. I made a resolution to pursue my artistic career, and also find a way to stay financially afloat. I must say that when I first returned to Thailand, I was a bit nervous, but luckily Mr Hellyeah at the 'For Wallpainting' exhibition granted me further exposure. Now I have far more painting and illustration works in comparison to my earlier graphic works,'' said Pharuephon.
Mr Hellyeah has made appearances on various products. At the rate he's going, it is to be expected that Pharuephon should launch his own line of products soon, but he begs to differ.
''The production and the marketing process are not the same as the creative process. I feel that I'm not ready to take everything on yet. I'm happy collaborating or doing commissioned works for the time being. But, of course, I plan to launch my own brand of street styled products one of these days. I'll do that when I'm really ready,'' he said.
One of Pharuephon's most notable collaborations is MMFK X Converse, which took one year to develop. It was sold out before Pharuephon could blink his eyes. Now the asking rate on the internet is almost 10,000 baht for a pair, which sold originally for 1,800 baht. Still, he realises that overexposure can possibly kill off any career altogether, so he's trying to navigate the waters carefully.
''I know that there are a lot of Mr Hellyeahs around these days, aren't there? I'd like to think that I've learned how to negotiate arts and commercialisation during my time at the ad agency. I'm trying not to go overboard, or else my works can become overdone. I feel that I must also divide my time to concentrate on fine art and gallery works to achieve a balance. What happens when I become bored of M. Hellyeah? Well, I'll move on to something else when I'm bored with him,'' he said.
''Life should never be about fixating on one thing. Now, I'm still having fun twisting and adapting my idea.''
A painting from ‘No Cartoon After News Tonight’ mini solo exhibition.
MMFK for Preduce skateboards.
