The Long Way Home the show’s title work by KAWS via Honor Fraser.
Now on display at Honor Fraser Gallery in Los Angeles is street artist KAWS’ solo show The Long Way Home. The show marks the artist’s first solo show in Los Angeles and follows previous solo shows at Gering and Lopez in New York City and Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin in Miami. On display are both paintings and sculptures that re-contextualize familiar pop culture. Paintings that feature the Smurfs and SpongeBob SquarePants are displayed along with sculptural works that resemble the Michelin Man and bronze casts of the artists head in a number of colors. Unique to this show are several new acrylic works that are encased in plastic packaging. KAWS began his work as a graffiti artist in Jersey City, New Jersey in the 1990’s defacing billboards, freight trains, and water towers and has recently expressed surprise at his own success in the gallery world. “When I grew up, I never thought I could enter a gallery,” KAWS stated in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, “I looked at them as these pretentious places that did not welcome me.” KAWS gallery achievement follows the artist’s commercial success with both his own line OriginalFake, and a number of collaborative efforts including work with Marc Jacobs, A Bathing Ape, and most recently KAWS worked with Kayne West to create the cover art for the hip-hop artist’s most recent album.
Press Release [Honor Fraser]
Tag, this artist is definitely it [LA Times]
KAWS documentary airs on CBS [Supertouch]
KAWS’ “The Long Way Home” at Honor Fraser Gallery [Supertouch]
The Long Way Home, installation view via Honor Fraser.
Kurf (Tangle) via Honor Fraser.
Kurf (Swing) via Honor Fraser. The work is a part of a new series that displays acrylic paintings in plastic packaging.
Permanent Thirty-Three via Honor Fraser. The cast of the artists head is a part of a series that includes the cast in 33 unique colors.
Marc Jacob and KAWS collaboration via HypeBeast. The shoes feature KAWS signature X’s that are featured prominently in the artists work in place of characters’ eyes.
In a testament to how far KAWS has come the artist who once defaced billboards for fun is now commissioned to design the very advertisements placed on them. The above billboard is for a recent Kayne West album, via High Snobiety.
The show’s title work: “The Long Way Home,†acrylic on canvas, 84 x 96 inches. Via SuperTouch
Kaws with Shepard and Amanda Fairey via SuperTouch
“Kurf (Tangle),†acrylic on canvas, 72 x 96 inches.& Installation views on Opening Night of Kaws at Honor Fraser via SuperTouch
The exhibition is on display at Honor Fraser until April 4, 2009.
