“KAWS: FAMILY” is a collection of work from the artist known as KAWS. From his original characters and fun collaborations with pop culture to his abstract paintings, KAWS has built up a unique mini-universe, as seen in the exhibit. It features paintings, sculptures and toys spanning 30 years of artwork. The exhibit isn’t very long, so the average person could get through it within 30 minutes. This is a temporary exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition ends on May 3. Admission is $25 for adults and free for teens.
The theme of family stems from the exploration of connections and relationships among his characters. His signature sculpted characters’ various expressions and body language highlight the complex emotions of intimacy, vulnerability and friendship. This heartfelt experience gets visitors to think of family and friends and strikes inspiration and wonder from simply going to see art.
At the center of it all, the artwork that is the heart of the exhibit’s title, is the life-size bronze sculpture coated in black paint titled “FAMILY”. Consists of his well-known characters — “COMPANION”, “BFF”, and “CHUM” — posed as if they are taking a family portrait.
Brian Donelly, professionally known as KAWS, is an American artist and designer based in Brooklyn, New York. Originally known as a street artist, he is known for bridging the gap between street art and fine art. He is recognized for creating large-scale sculptures and vinyl toys. Perhaps, his breakthrough and most popular character is “COMPANION” (character shown on top left), inspired by Disney’s “Mickey Mouse”.
His artistic persona could be described as transforming already famous pop culture icons into a stylized character that echoes his own art style. He puts that character into situations illustrated in paintings and sculptures to capture a feeling, in this case, kinship.
It’s always fun to see favorite characters from “The Simpsons”, and “Peanuts” being reimagined in KAWS’s art style with those signature X-ed shaped eyes. It puts a playful twist on these popular characters. It’s familiar but not the same, adding a layer of humor.
As for my own takeaways, I especially loved the paintings. His paintings feature the same characters and recurring themes surrounding family and friends, which was touching. However, I was impressed with the precision in the art: It looked as if it were printed but in reality, it was all hand-painted. This requires incredible control and skill. The lineart is bold and clean and the colors are dynamic, with the brighter colors popping out and the darker colors making a shadow to create depth. Definitely worthwhile.