KAWS
Produced in collaboration with Acute Art
KAWS has emerged as a truly international artist through his appeal to diverse audiences across the globe. His ongoing collaboration with Acute Art has produced a rich variety of digital sculptures shown and experienced around the world.
“When I realized the quality that could be achieved and experienced in AR, I was immediately drawn to its potential. I have been creating objects and exhibiting works in public spaces throughout my career, and this allows me to expand on that in a whole new arena. The possibilities of locations and scale are endless, and I’m excited to start a new dialogue in this medium.”
KAWS
The global launch of COMPANION (EXPANDED)
Exhibitions
2023
KAWS: FAMILY, Art Gallery Ontario, Canada
KAWS NEW FICTION, Catalogue launch, Chiltern Street, London
2022
KAWS: NEW FICTION, Serpentine Galleries, London
Light to Night Festival, National Gallery Singapore (Group exhibition)
Un Panorama de Este Mundo, PROA (Buenos Aires), Argentina(Group exhibition)
Kaleidoscope Eyes, Leeum Museum of Art (Seoul), South Korea(Group exhibition)
Kaleidoscope Eyes, Ho-Am Museum of Art (Yongin), South Korea (Group exhibition)
AR.Trail, National Gallery Victoria, Australia (Group exhibition)
2021
The Looking Glass, The Shed, (NY), (Group exhibition)
KAWS TOKYO FIRST, Mori Art Museum, (Tokyo)
2020
COMPANION (EXPANDED), Global AR launch (NY, London, Paris, Tokyo, HK, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Melbourne, Qatar, Tanzania)
Nuit Blanche, Paris
Mirage: Contemporary Art in Augmented Reality, UCCA, Beijing, China (Group exhibition)
Unreal City, with Dazed Magazine, London, (Group exhibition)
KAWS: FAMILY, Art Gallery Ontario, 2023
KAWS NEW FICTION, Serpentine Galleries, 2022
KAWS NEW FICTION, Serpentine Galleries, 2022
KAWS NEW FICTION, Serpentine Galleries, 2022
KAWS NEW FICTION, Serpentine Galleries, 2022
EXPANDED HOLIDAY global launch, Millennium Bridge, London, 2020
EXPANDED HOLIDAY global launch, Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo, 2020
Behind the scenes
Rodrigo Marques working on the Acute Art app
Daniel Birnbaum, KAWS and Rodrigo Marques
Rodrigo Marques working on the Acute Art app
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KAWS
KAWS NEW FICTION series
2022, Augmented RealityFAMILY
SEEING
SERPENTINE
WATCHING
WHAT PARTY (Black and Orange)
Fortnite island code 9441-7852-6686
In his first major solo exhibition in London, NEW FICTION, KAWS (Brian Donnelly b.1974) presents new and recent works in physical and augmented reality at Serpentine North from 18 January – 27 February 2022. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with Acute Art and curated by Acute Art’s Artistic Director, Daniel Birnbaum. A parallel digital version of the show launches simultaneously in Fortnite, a video game developed by Epic Games.
In addition to the Fortnite collaboration, Serpentine and KAWS will use an app developed by Acute Art to offer a bridge between the virtual and the physical worlds. All the paintings and sculptures in the exhibition as well as a miniature version of the entire show will exist as AR works on the Acute Art app and can be placed and viewed at home by viewers globally. They can also be shared on social media, making KAWS’ art visible across the world.
KAWS REESE'S PUFFS
2021, Augmented Reality (Orange and Blue)KAWS REESE'S PUFFS
2021, Augmented Reality gameCOMPANION 2020
2020, Augmented RealityHOLIDAY FLOAT
2020, Augmented RealityTHE RETURN
2020, Augmented Reality AR DrawingKAWS
2020, Augmented Reality AR DrawingSHARE
2020, Augmented Reality AR DrawingHOLIDAY SPACE
2020, Augmented Reality
In the summer of 2020, Acute Art had the pleasure of presenting HOLIDAY SPACE, a free new AR work by KAWS.
On Monday 17th August, in collaboration with All Rights Reserved, the artist launched this iconic COMPANION figure into space, in celebration of the character’s 20th anniversary. Using a sounding balloon, the KAWS:HOLIDAY SPACE sculpture was sent up 41.5km into the stratosphere, and took a two hour zero gravity walk before retuning to Earth.
“So many projects have been cancelled this year. I wanted to create one that could be experienced safely from home. Because this year marks 20 years since I created COMPANION, I tried to find a way around all the restrictions and do something special,” says Kaws. “I felt so confined the past few months that creating a project like this has really given me a chance to escape.”
The Scotts (Pink, Brown and Grey)
2020, Augmented Reality AR DrawingEXPANDED HOLIDAY series
2020, Augmented RealityCOMPANION (EXPANDED)
AT THIS TIME (EXPANDED) (Brown, Grey and Black)
TAKE (EXPANDED)
In collaboration with Acute Art, KAWS produced EXPANDED HOLIDAY, which demonstrates the enormous potential of augmented reality (AR) and conveys a sense of mischievous humor through the juxtaposition of physical and virtual worlds. The app features a small version of COMPANION (EXPANDED) and AT THIS TIME (EXPANDED) from his project EXPANDED HOLIDAY, and a series of AR drawings.
KAWS comments, “When I realized the quality that could be achieved and experienced in AR, I was immediately drawn to its potential. I have been creating objects and exhibiting works in public spaces throughout my career, and this allows me to expand on that in a whole new arena. The possibilities of locations and scale are endless, and I’m excited to start a new dialogue in this medium.”
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KAWS has emerged as a truly international artist through his appeal to diverse audiences across the globe. His signature imagery is easily recognizable, and through his strategies of appropriation, he has developed an oeuvre that transcends genres and defies all hierarchies. Over the last two decades, KAWS has won acclaim with work that demonstrates a unique agility and craft, as well as an underlying humor and irreverence. His prolific body of work straddles the worlds of art and design and includes paintings, murals, sculptures of all sizes, graphic and product design, advertising intervention, and now augmented reality. Throughout his career, KAWS has created work that engages audiences beyond the traditional art world. From his early days of interventions in the public realm to large-scale sculptures in Hong Kong harbor and Mount Fuji, his art connects with experienced art lovers as well as with people who have never set foot in the museums and galleries that exhibit the work. What he has to offer is nothing less than an exploration of humanity itself, perhaps best exemplified by his cast of hybrid cartoon characters. KAWS’ art is both playful and deeply emotional at the same time.
KAWS (b. 1974) lives and works in New York.
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