KAWS at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

KAWS and his unique work has been shown in the public realm all over the world! He has collaborated with international brands and music artists. In addition to clothing and other items, he has made limited edition vinyl toys since the late 1990s, including with Japanese company Medicom Toy and his own company OriginalFake.

So Kaws has it pretty much going on! Now he has decided to don his wellies and bring his giant sculptures to the open air and the scenic Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP). This is his first UK museum exhibition and we are very much excited! The exhibition includes over 20 works: commanding sculptures in bronze, fibreglass, aluminium and wood alongside large, bright canvases immaculately rendered in acrylic paint – some created especially for the exhibition.

In the 1990s, KAWS conceived the soft skull with crossbones and crossed-out eyes which would become his signature iconography, subverting and abstracting cartoon figures.

Photo © Jonty Wilde
Photo © Jonty Wilde
Photo © Jonty Wilde

Against the Park’s tree line, the group of six works in natural and black-stained wood, measuring between six and 10 metres in height will be spectacular pointing to an array of psychological narratives, suggesting compassion, surprise and despair.

In Longside Gallery, KAWS’s will show works including ACCOMPLICE (2010), a baby pink monstrous rabbit figure…

Photo © Guillaume Ziccarelli

…a neon pink CHUM (2009), a bulbous figure, and the spermatozoa-like BORN TO BEND (2013), while COMPANION (RESTING PLACE) (2013), and the three-metre-high COMPANION (ORIGINALFAKE) (2006) from the artist’s Tokyo store, with its skin peeled back to reveal highly coloured internal organs. HE EATS ALONE (2014), fabricated in Corian and aluminium is a hybrid sculpture/painting, while UPS AND DOWNS (2012), the artist’s series of 10 acrylic canvases, point towards SpongeBob.Yay!

Photo © Guillaume Ziccarelli
Photo © Jonty Wilde
Photo © Farzad Owrang

The artist has made a series of five paintings especially for the exhibition. Each measuring 112 x 92 inches, they will span the largest wall of the spacious gallery.

Take a peak at the setting up and GraffitiStreet will be back with all the pictures from the Yorkshire Dales…

Photo © Jonty Wilde
Photo © Jonty Wilde
Photo © Jonty Wilde
Photo © Jonty Wilde

This behind-the-scenes preview shows the installation of KAWS’ ten-metre-tall sculpture SMALL LIE (2013) ahead of the opening of new Yorkshire Sculpture Park exhibition (6 February 2016–12 June 2016).

A great exhibition not to be missed! See you there…

Comments

comments

Calling all Street Art fans

If you are holding a street art festival please get in touch with us as Graffitistreet would love to cover your event and share it with our readers.

Street artists, please drop us a line to share your latest murals and the inspiration behind them; GraffitiStreet want to know about the thoughts and ideas that breathe life into your pieces!

Or, if you are a lover of all things street art and would like to write a guest Blog post for GraffitiStreet, get in contact too! We would love to hear from you and what you have got to say.

All words and photos used must be the author’s own or the author has gained permission from the source and clearly credits the source blog. Author takes full responsibility for copyright.

Share your comments