KAWS

KAWS (American, b. 1974)

Sold as a set of 2.

From a sold-out edition of an unknown size.

Two individual KAWS Companions featuring KAWS’ CHUM character in a hunched position. Published to commemorate the debut of KAWS’ larger scale sculptural version of the same at K11 Musea Hong Kong and The Brooklyn Museum New York.

“KAWS’s creative output traverses the worlds of art, fashion and design. Continuing in the tradition of pop art and central to his practice, this sculpture is an exploration of humanity, appearing to be downcast and isolated. Portrayed in a larger-than-life size, in a hunched position, and with its head tilted towards the ground, WHAT PARTY acts as a reminder of the increasingly toxic nature of public discourse and rise of disillusionment in our times. He prompts us to combat underlying hatred and fear in society and to live with compassion. The work shows KAWS’s formal agility as an artist, accompanied by his underlying wit, irreverence and affection.” (Musea K11)

KAWS is a fine artist, illustrator, painter, sculptor, product designer and toymaker. His cartoonish style—including his best-known characters with X-ed out eyes—has its roots in his early career as a street artist, when he began replacing advertisements with his own masterful acrylic paintings in the early 1990s.

Stamped on the underside