// KAWS's Separated (2021) is a lithograph measuring 50.8 x 40.6 cm, capturing a character with its face buried in gloved hands, evoking feelings of isolation and vulnerability. Known for blending pop culture and emotional themes, KAWS’s work here portrays a figure in a moment of solitude, with rounded forms and textured shading that accentuate the character’s sense of sadness and disconnection. The muted color palette enhances the somber tone, while the lithograph technique preserves the intricacy of KAWS's line work. Separated invites viewers to reflect on the themes of separation and emotional depth that recur throughout KAWS’s artistic practice.
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.
Lithograph Lithography is a printing method based on the principle that water and oil do not mix. It can be used to print artwork or text onto paper or other suitable materials. Traditionally, an image was drawn with wax, fat, or oil onto a lithographic limestone surface or plate. Today, metal plates and other surfaces are also used in lithographic printing.
// KAWS's Separated (2021) is a lithograph measuring 50.8 x 40.6 cm, capturing a character with its face buried in gloved hands, evoking feelings of isolation and vulnerability. Known for blending pop culture and emotional themes, KAWS’s work here portrays a figure in a moment of solitude, with rounded forms and textured shading that accentuate the character’s sense of sadness and disconnection. The muted color palette enhances the somber tone, while the lithograph technique preserves the intricacy of KAWS's line work. Separated invites viewers to reflect on the themes of separation and emotional depth that recur throughout KAWS’s artistic practice.
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.