KAWS’s Dissected Companion (Gray), created in 2006, is a limited edition screenprint measuring 20 by 20 inches. The artwork features KAWS’s iconic character, the Companion, shown in a dissected state, revealing anatomical details on one half while maintaining the character's typical form on the other. Rendered in grayscale tones, the piece highlights the juxtaposition between the familiar, cartoonish exterior and the detailed, almost scientific interior. The cross-section includes elements such as muscles, bones, and organs, all stylized in KAWS’s signature graphic approach. The split composition creates a visual and conceptual contrast, inviting viewers to reflect on the relationship between surface appearance and hidden complexity. This work embodies KAWS’s fusion of pop art, street culture, and fine art, making it both playful and thought-provoking, as it deconstructs the iconic imagery of animation and toys with a contemporary twist.
KAWS (USA, 1974), born Brian Donnelly, is a contemporary artist and designer celebrated for his cartoon-inspired sculptures, paintings, and collectible toys. Merging street art and pop culture, his iconic 'Companion' figures and bold graphics have reached global audiences, bridging the worlds of fine art, fashion, and commercial design.
Screen-printScreen printing is a technique where ink is transferred through a mesh onto a substrate, with areas blocked by a stencil to prevent ink from passing through. This method, also known as serigraphy or silkscreen printing, is commonly used to produce prints on posters, T-shirts, vinyl, stickers, wood, and other materials. The process is a type of stencil printing, allowing for vibrant, detailed designs on various surfaces.
KAWS’s Dissected Companion (Gray), created in 2006, is a limited edition screenprint measuring 20 by 20 inches. The artwork features KAWS’s iconic character, the Companion, shown in a dissected state, revealing anatomical details on one half while maintaining the character's typical form on the other. Rendered in grayscale tones, the piece highlights the juxtaposition between the familiar, cartoonish exterior and the detailed, almost scientific interior. The cross-section includes elements such as muscles, bones, and organs, all stylized in KAWS’s signature graphic approach. The split composition creates a visual and conceptual contrast, inviting viewers to reflect on the relationship between surface appearance and hidden complexity. This work embodies KAWS’s fusion of pop art, street culture, and fine art, making it both playful and thought-provoking, as it deconstructs the iconic imagery of animation and toys with a contemporary twist.
KAWS (USA, 1974), born Brian Donnelly, is a contemporary artist and designer celebrated for his cartoon-inspired sculptures, paintings, and collectible toys. Merging street art and pop culture, his iconic 'Companion' figures and bold graphics have reached global audiences, bridging the worlds of fine art, fashion, and commercial design.
Born Brian Donnelly but creating under a pseudonym, Kaws is an artist renowned for his acrylic paintings and sculptures that often employ repeated and distinctive graphics while reworking highly recognisable pop culture icons – Companion is one of his most notable sculptures, a large-scale, clown-like and darker take on the universally-recognised Mickey Mouse. Kaws’ early foray into art was through the form of street-graffiti; his trademark ‘x’ symbol, often applied over the hands, eyes and mouths of his characters, sprung from this phase in which Kaws would often replace public advertisements with his own artwork, a technique known as subvertising. Kaws uses a number of different materials throughout his creative processes including wood, aluminium, fiberglass and a steel pontoon inflatable raft; he has also collaborated with numerous companies and artists including Santastic! and John Mayer. (Artist website)
Comic strip art refers to artwork that utilizes the subject matter and commercial printing techniques found in comic strips. In the 1960s, a group of artists began creating paintings that incorporated Ben-Day dots—commonly used in comics and advertising—to produce highly graphic designs in bright colors, using traditional art media.