KAWS的創作不斷打破藝術和商業之間的界限,他也因此獲得大眾的追捧和評論界的讚譽。藝術家曾與多個全球知名品牌合作,包括2016年起與服裝品牌優衣庫合作,以及2017年與耐克合作發布Air Jordan 4 Retro聯名鞋款。他曾多次舉辦個展,包括近期在澳大利亞的維多利亞國立美術館的回顧展(2019-2020年),他的作品也獲得了全球著名公共機構的收藏,包括加州的洛杉磯當代藝術館和巴黎的羅森布拉姆收藏。去年,在2019年巴塞爾藝術展香港展會期間,KAWS展出了他的大型公共裝置《KAWS:假期》,將他標誌性的「同伴」變成了一隻巨大的充氣雕塑,漂浮在維多利亞港的海面。KAWS是我們這一時代最有遠見的藝術家之一,他席捲了整個藝術界,並對當今的流行文化產生了獨特的影響。
i Andrea Karnes,《擴展領域的波普》,《KAWS:始於終點》,Andrea Karnes與Marla Price編,德克薩斯州,2017年,第5頁
ii 麥克‧奧平,《美國的卡通心靈》,《KAWS:始於終點》,Andrea Karnes與Marla Price編,德克薩斯州,2017年,第68頁
iii 麥克‧奧平,《美國的卡通心靈》,《KAWS:始於終點》,Andrea Karnes與Marla Price編,德克薩斯州,2017年,第72頁
To understand the work of KAWS is to understand his roots in the skateboard and graffiti crews of New York City. Brian Donnelly chose KAWS as his moniker to tag city streets beginning in the 1990s, and quickly became a celebrated standout in the scene. Having swapped spray paint for explorations in fine art spanning sculpture, painting and collage, KAWS has maintained a fascination with classic cartoons, including Garfield, SpongeBob SquarePants and The Simpsons, and reconfigured familiar subjects into a world of fantasy.
Perhaps he is most known for his larger-than-life fiberglass sculptures that supplant the body of Mickey Mouse onto KAWS' own imagined creatures, often with 'x'-ed out eyes or ultra-animated features. However, KAWS also works frequently in neon and vivid paint, adding animation and depth to contemporary paintings filled with approachable imagination. There is mass appeal to KAWS, who exhibits globally and most frequently in Asia, Europe and the United States.