Brian Donnelly, born in New Jersey in 1974, began his career as KAWS in the 1990s as a graffiti artist and soon became known for his playful and disruptive style. His art often features iconic cartoon characters, such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Mickey Mouse that get reimagined through his unique art. His work often blurs the line between high and low culture, using familiar images to comment on consumerism, branding, and the role of art in modern society.
COMPANION: One of KAWS’ most recognisable characters, COMPANION is a large-scale sculpture of a cartoon-like figure with crossed-out eyes and a skull-like face. Originally created in 1999, the character has since become a staple of KAWS’ work.
CHUM: Another of KAWS’ iconic characters, CHUM is a shark-like figure with a cartoonish face and crossed-out eyes. The character has been produced in a variety of forms, including as a sculpture, a painting, and a toy.
BFF: Created in 2016, BFF is a pink and blue version of KAWS’ COMPANION character, which features a smaller figure embracing the larger one. The piece has become highly sought after by collectors, with limited-edition pieces fetching high prices at auctions.
KAWS released his latest collection, “Time Off” on Valentine’s Day. His collection will feature one of his more popular silhouettes, BFF, and figures will come in three different colourways, blue, black and pink. This latest launch will see the characters lying down and relaxing, hence the name “Time Off”. This Time Off Vinyl figure has just landed at Story Cape Town! In addition, we also have the KAWS Companion Flayed Open figure as well as the KAWS Chum vinyl range. Get your hands on these iconic art pieces today!
These iconic pieces have helped to establish KAWS as a leading figure in the art and design world. He has truly cemented his legacy as a major influence in art and pop culture. Besides having a wide selection of KAWS figures and apparel, we are also able to source any items that we don’t have at the moment.
