Kaws, Former Graffiti (Tag) Artist
This segment profiles the artist known as KAWS, former Graffiti (tag) artist turned painter and designer of limited edition toys and clothing. This segment also features some cool clips of KAWS’ art, displayed in Pharrell Williams’ Miami Home and Kanye West’s latest album cover and billboard.
You can catch his next exhibition,
“KAWS, The Long Way Home,” February 21,— April 04, 2009 at the Honor Fraser Gallery in LA
http://www.honorfraser.com/?s=upcoming
or
http://www.honorfraser.com
“I just started simply through graffiti and drawing on my skateboard and painting on walls and getting that small recognition,” said KAWS, known to his family as Brian Donnelly.
KAWS graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York with a BFA in illustration in 1996. After graduation, KAWS briefly worked for Disney as a freelance animator painting backgrounds. He also contributed to the animated series 101 Dalmations, Daria and Doug.
He began his career as a graffiti artist growing up in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Later moving to NYC in the 1990s, KAWS started subverting imagery on billboards, bus shelters and phone booth advertisements. These reworked advertisements were at first left alone, lasting for up to several months, but as KAWS’ popularity skyrocketed, the ads became increasingly sought after.
In addition to NY, KAWS has done work in Paris, London, Berlin and Tokyo.
In the late 90s, KAWS began to design and produce limited edition vinyl toys, “an instant hit with the global art toy-collecting community,”especially in Japan, where this genre is well respected and widespread. More toys and later clothing were made for Original Fake, a recent collaborative store with Medicom Toy, in the Aoyama district of Tokyo where an original limited edition product is released each week.
KAWS has also participated in other commercial collaborations with Takahashi for Undercover, snowboard projects with Burton, and sneakers with Nike and Vans.
His most recent collaboration was with Comme des Garçons.
KAWS’ acrylic paintings and sculpture have many repeating images, all meant to be universally understood, surpassing languages and cultures.
One of KAWS’ early series, Package Paintings, was made in 2000. This series, entitled The Kimpsons, subverted the famous American cartoon, The Simpsons. KAWS explains that he “found it weird how infused a cartoon could become in people’s lives; the impact it could have, compared to regular politics.”
In addition, KAWS has reworked other familiar icons such as Mickey Mouse, the Michelin Man and the Smurfs.
Through all of his projects, KAWS has successfully blurred the line between fine art and mass-produced merchandise. He uses his products to allow his imagery to infiltrate a larger audience than that of the fine art world.
The artist is currently an active member in both the commercial and fine art communities.
His work is included in the traveling exhibition “Beautiful Losers,” which started at the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center and will be traveling through 2009 throughout the US and Europe.
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS (forthcoming)
Plastic Culture, Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston, Great Britain
The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, CT
SPECIAL PROJECTS
Album Cover, 808s and Heartbreak, by Kanye West
Also check out:
http://www.original-fake.com
http://www.kawsone.com
Video: © 2009, CBS Sunday Morning, CBS News, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved No Infringement is intended
Duration : 0:6:34
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HOw many star wars …
HOw many star wars were made?
@nightmarefacility …
@nightmarefacility : thanks man! you’re right. i looked it up. : )
@DmitryTV once he …
@DmitryTV once he realized he could capitalize, that was his motivation.
how do you go from …
how do you go from adbusting to launching your own product line, owing its popularity to the recognizability of the franchises you’re bastardizing in your art… what’s the point? what’s this you’re dead but so am i bullshit?
hes so soft spoken
hes so soft spoken
“he is just of his …
“he is just of his time.” ~ pfft! moron!
@ …
@iHATEHATERSthatiHATE i think “companion”
the interviewer is …
the interviewer is hot
really cool artist. …
really cool artist. A bit too marketing maybe, but still good
what is the type of paint used?
Fresh
Fresh
@AirBeezy6 : thanks …
@AirBeezy6 : thanks for saying the characters name,
i didn’t know it til’ now.
Pop Art
Pop Art
Definetly my …
Definetly my favorite artist of all time I remember when I was little wondering who put up those companion stickers on posters
low brow
low brow
Whats this kinda of …
Whats this kinda of art called?
LAME JMB did it …
LAME JMB did it better
WHAT DID HE SAY HIS …
WHAT DID HE SAY HIS FIRST CHARACTER’s NAME was called at 2:41 ???
i agree with 627287 …
i agree with 627287. ♥
@superdunnyteam: …
@superdunnyteam: you’re stupid. manga is not “gay”, unless it’s made with homosexual intent.
other than that manga is a beautiful art form and it compliments graffiti very well.
@MAC616: you typed “I graff…but i don’t need to go against the law to get my art out.”
how the do you get up then?
LEGAL WALLS ONLY?
that’s bullshit.
bitch mutha …
mutha fucka !!!! you either tagg up or get the out………fuck that gallery commercial shit…….kaws ur a mutha fucka.
This is so funny… …
This is so funny….. i lived in downtown jersey city in the early 90’s and always used to see KAWS painted all over town. There was a big factory that got torn down maybe 8 years ago that had his name all over it. who knew he’d end up like this… kudos to him!
this guy was in …
this guy was in getting up documentary
hartless
hartless
hartless
hartless
haha “Heartless’
…
haha “Heartless’
808’s nd Heartbreak been out forever