Brian Donnelly, commonly known as KAWS, is one of the biggest icons of the global urban art (more information here). He went from painting advertisement at bus stops to design limited editions of toys and to place giant sculptures in emblematic spots around the world. The iconic XX eyes are already one of the most desired symbols in the streetwear and urban scene.
The graffiti artist, illustrator, designer, sculptor (and a few more attributes) has masterfully commercialized his production and his identity, getting to design from album covers for Kanye West to sneakers for Nike. However his installations are still the main thing he’s known for. So these are, in our view, his top 5 projects.
Holiday
An extraordinary 27-meters-high floating figure that made the lake Seokchon in Seoul famous. This companion lay peacefully at the lake’s surface, close to the shore. The best view of the work was from the top. This same series allowed us to see the black and white figure in Hong Kong or Taiwan.
W/ Kim Jones
On the occasion of his first Dior Homme collection at the Paris Fashion Week, Kim Jones recruited KAWS. Safe bet, because the pink teddy that the artist designed, with a Baby Dior suit, became one of the favorite elements from the SS18 collection and caught all the show’s flashes.
KAWS by Nigo
In April of 2019, KAWS by Nigo was auctioned at Sobethy’s and finally sold for 14,7 million dollars. This work parodied the The Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band playing with the characters from The Simpsons, provided with the characteristic KAWS features. To clarify, the work beat the former record of 2,7 million dollars, which was the highest amount one of Donnelly’s works had been sold for.
GISWIL
The GISWIL exhibition might not be the most famous, but the truth is that it is no small significance. Certainly, we are talking about the first work that the artist made with plain wood on a large scale. Two figures that evoked Pinocchio and that, according to KAWS himself, represented the interrelationship between forms. They were exhibited in Switzerland’s More Gallery.
Seeing/Watching
2018 was the year when one of his Companions sat, back to back, with a reinterpretation of Elmo. The work, made in collaboration with the studio AllRightsReserved, looked at the passers-by from the top of the skyscraper Changsha IFS in Hunan, China.
So if you are a KAWS fan, keep an eye on the following months. The Brooklyn Museum is preparing a retrospective of the artist for 2021…
Instagram: @kaws