ARTISTS
KAWS: Therapy
Galerie Max Hetzler is pleased to present THERAPY, a solo exhibition of new works by KAWS.
Drawing inspiration from the vast fields of popular culture and art history, KAWS鈥� artistic lexicon revitalises figuration with big, bold gestures and playful intricacies. His prolific body of work straddles the worlds of fine art and consumer culture to include paintings, murals and sculptures, as well as graphic and product design. In the present exhibition, KAWS鈥� iconic hybrid cartoon characters populate a series of paintings and one larger-than-life sculpture. At once humorous and empathetic, these characters offer entryways into complex emotions and serve as prime examples of KAWS鈥� exploration of humanity.
Installed at street level in the gallery space at Bleibtreustra脽e 15/16, the stainless steel sculpture SPACE, 2023, presents an iteration of KAWS鈥� COMPANION, the original three-dimensional character first created by the artist as a small vinyl toy in 1999. Characteristically playful yet melancholic, COMPANION is here depicted as a towering space explorer, clad in an astronaut suit and wearing an oxygen tank on its back. Yet, instead of carrying a flag, it covers its eyes with gloved hands, suggesting a state of resignation or perhaps denial. COMPANION鈥檚 gloves carry the artist鈥檚 iconic 鈥榅X鈥�, usually employed to stand in for his characters鈥� eyes. The sculpture鈥檚 striking scale enhances its subtle commentary on the human condition 鈥� reflecting both our captivation with progress and space exploration, and the deeper implications of leaving Earth behind.
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Galerie Max Hetzler is pleased to present THERAPY, a solo exhibition of new works by KAWS.
Drawing inspiration from the vast fields of popular culture and art history, KAWS鈥� artistic lexicon revitalises figuration with big, bold gestures and playful intricacies. His prolific body of work straddles the worlds of fine art and consumer culture to include paintings, murals and sculptures, as well as graphic and product design. In the present exhibition, KAWS鈥� iconic hybrid cartoon characters populate a series of paintings and one larger-than-life sculpture. At once humorous and empathetic, these characters offer entryways into complex emotions and serve as prime examples of KAWS鈥� exploration of humanity.
Installed at street level in the gallery space at Bleibtreustra脽e 15/16, the stainless steel sculpture SPACE, 2023, presents an iteration of KAWS鈥� COMPANION, the original three-dimensional character first created by the artist as a small vinyl toy in 1999. Characteristically playful yet melancholic, COMPANION is here depicted as a towering space explorer, clad in an astronaut suit and wearing an oxygen tank on its back. Yet, instead of carrying a flag, it covers its eyes with gloved hands, suggesting a state of resignation or perhaps denial. COMPANION鈥檚 gloves carry the artist鈥檚 iconic 鈥榅X鈥�, usually employed to stand in for his characters鈥� eyes. The sculpture鈥檚 striking scale enhances its subtle commentary on the human condition 鈥� reflecting both our captivation with progress and space exploration, and the deeper implications of leaving Earth behind.
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KAWS has unveiled THERAPY, a solo exhibition at Galerie Max Hetzler, marking his first collaboration with the Berlin-based gallery.
Galerie Max Hetzler is pleased to present聽THERAPY, a solo exhibition of new works by past cover artist聽KAWS聽at Bleibtreustra脽e 45 and 15/16 in Berlin. This is the artist鈥檚 inaugural exhibition with the gallery.
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