Universes
Each universe is an ongoing world shaped by observation, emotion, and care. These characters are not created as products, but as vessels for stories, questions, and ways of seeing that emerge directly from our individual perspectives and lived experiences, continuing to evolve over time. Together, they reflect how Mokuyo Studio approaches art — slowly, sincerely, and with attention to the small things that matter.
JELILO emerged from Lester’s exploration of protection, vulnerability, and quiet resilience. Set within fragile environments, the universe reflects a belief in standing up for what is gentle, and in finding strength through care rather than dominance. JELILO continues to evolve across paintings, objects, and toys, growing alongside the questions that first gave it form.
OOJA is a parallel universe developed through Yang’s perspective, rooted in emotional sensitivity and inner states of becoming. Rather than following linear narratives, OOJA unfolds through feeling, atmosphere, and intuition, allowing softness, uncertainty, and quiet transformation to exist without resolution.
Ann Chai is a personal universe created by Lester, rooted in memories of his younger self and an imagined companion formed in childhood. The world often depicts Ann Chai riding or building mechanical dragonflies, insects, and animals — inventions born from a child’s desire to explore, construct, and move beyond what is given. Ann Chai is frequently shown with his head tilted upward, a gesture drawn from observing children’s drawings, where figures instinctively look toward the sky or something beyond, before rules or correctness are learned. Through these imagined machines, journeys, and gestures, everyday observations, awkwardness, and quiet emotion become a way of searching, experimenting, and finding answers.