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Sijia Jamie Huang

Liz Linden

CA-172

11/25/2019

KAWS: A Contemporary Appropriation Artist

“KAWS. The name — or rather, the tag (a graffiti signature) — just seems cool. I may

not know which emoji is trending, but I do know what’s cool” (Fong). The statement by this art

gallery owner is about the artist KAWS, which is the professional name of a contemporary artist

named Brian Donnelly. He is a conceptual artist who works in various forms, most commonly

in sculpture, using the media of plastic, wood, fiberglass, aluminum, and bronze. He also does

paintings and screen-prints. Born in 1971 in New Jersey, he studied and graduated with a B.A.

from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. An important stylistic element of his artistic

process is appropriation, adapting images and forms from other media. Analysis of several

examples of KAWS' art works will demonstrate the nature and character of his art and its use of

appropriation.

KAWS, née Brian Donnelly, was born in 1974 in New Jersey. Educated as an illustrator at

the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York. After graduating in 1996, he worked at Disney as

a freelance animator, working on the background designs for the cartoon 101 Dalmatians and the

animated series Doug.

Simultaneously with his work at Disney, KAWS began to develop as a graffiti writer and

concentrated on creativity in the city. Using urban objects - telephone booths, public transport,

billboards - as a canvas, he replaced the faces of the models with symbolic skulls with
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characteristic crosses instead of eyes. By the way, these are not even crosses, but the letter “X”,

which KAWS especially stands out among all the others.

In this way, Donnelly subverts the brand’s worth. And, it would seem, representatives of

world famous brands should be furious from such abuse, but everything worked the other way

around. In particular, Lee Lodge, one of the MTV producers, was so inspired by the artist’s look

at popular culture that he even offered cooperation (Nelson). Further, the artist began to work on

the design of limited vinyl toys with the My Plastic Heart brand. This collaboration became

decisive in his career: firstly, the toys created by Brian made him famous all over the world -

especially in Japan, where the community of collectors is very numerous, and secondly, they set

one of the main vectors of his work (Nelson). Yet, all of his works were marked by the idea of

appropriation.

KAWS is one of the most famous and sought-after contemporary artists whose heritage is

difficult to fit into the framework of one particular genre - along with Shepard Fairy (Obey) and

Ron English. In addition, the artist is distinguished by a characteristic style that cannot be

confused with any other. He exhibited in the world's best galleries, makes illustrations decorating

clothes and shoes of international brands, and produces collaborations whose price in the

secondary market reaches unthinkable marks (Nelson).

Appropriation in art represents a process which was introduced and exploited by Pop

artists of the 1960 and afterwards. It is defined as, “...the practice of artists using pre-existing

objects or images in their art with little transformation of the original” (“Appropriation”).

Appropriation in art can be traced back to the early decades of the twentieth century in Cubist

collages. One of the most striking [examples] from that period was the use of an actual
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bathroom urinal titled “Fountain” by Marcel Duchamps. Perhaps one of the most memorable

contemporary examples of appropriation in art is Andy Warhol's use of Campbell's Soup cans in

paintings. Thus, the artist appropriated the existing images of the packaging for the popular food

product into the images of the soup cans in his paintings with only a change in media from the

originals. Since the 1980s, appropriation has become a technique used by many artists

(“Appropriation”).

Thus, appropriation is now an established approach to the creation of art objects utilized

in particular by the artist with the professional name KAWS, Brian Donnelly. He did not start

out using the appropriation approach. He originally made a name for himself as a graffiti artist.

Graffiti art, “...(also called 'Street Art', 'Spraycan Art', 'Subway Art' or 'Aerosol Art')...refers to

decorative imagery applied by paint or other means to buildings, public transport or other

property” (“Graffiti Art”). In regard to the matter of appropriation in art, graffiti art is a kind of

reverse appropriation, it creates a “pre-existing” artwork image on which later art works can be

based. Nevertheless, from his start in graffiti art, KAWS art developed further to actual

appropriation.

While the general public may not be aware of KAWS as an artist (his professional name

hasn't had much in the way of publicity outsides of artistic circles), it is now gaining recognition

for the “Mickey Mouse-like” images which much of his art works takes:
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(Donnelly, Brian. KAWS Companion Open Edition Vinyl Figure Black. 2016)

Recently, however, his name is becoming better known for some of his artworks and

sales: “The artist is also known for his larger scale public installations, such as 2019's KAWS:

Holiday which was installed in the Hong Kong harbor during Basel Hong Kong. In 2019, THE

KAWS ALBUM (2005) sold at auction for a record $14.8 million” (“KAWS”),

Analysis of examples of KAWS art works will demonstrate their general character and

use of appropriation:

The KAWS Album, or Kimpsons was painted in the early 2000s. The painting is 40

inches square and the medium is acrylic on canvas (“KAWS: The KAWS Album”). As anyone

who has seen the comic strip of The Simpsons or the television program of the same name will

recognize, those were the sources appropriated for the painting. What might not be so apparent

to younger viewers of the painting is that it also appropriates a suggestion of the image from the

1967 record album cover of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Thus, as the

catalog listing at Sotheby's art auction house says of the painting, it is “an appropriation of an

appropriation” (“KAWS: The KAWS Album”).

Thus, this painting clearly demonstrates the appropriation characteristics of KAWS

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artwork. In a colorful, cartoonish palette of colors, the artist has reproduced many of the

characters from The Simpsons comic strip and television cartoon series but all having his typical

'Xs” for eyes.

(Donnelly, Brian. The Kaws Album. 2005)

His sculptures “aka Companions,” are sold not only in the framework of online auctions

(the price reaches $ 15 000.00 USD per copy, although the average price is approximately $2

500.00 USD) (Artsy), but also at auctions specializing in contemporary art. About a month ago,

one of his most famous and rare sculptures, released under the Original Fake label (a brand that

KAWS founded in 2006 and developed until 2013) (Park), Seated Companion, went under the

hammer at an auction in Hong Kong. For her, they offered a record $ 411 000.00 dollars (Chin).

The list of brands KAWS has worked with is huge, but we will highlight several key

names: Comme des Garçons, Kanye West, MTV, Nike, Jordan, Vans, Bearbrick, STAR WARS

(Lee).

Kanye West
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It is Brian who is the American rapper and producer Kanye West who is obliged by

artwork to one of his most important albums - 808s & Heartbreak. If the cover makes one think

about the artist only when carefully examining it, then the detailed colorful artwork leaves no

doubt (Lee).

MTV

In the past few decades, MTV has ceased to be just a television channel. He became a

real cult, with its inherent symbols and attributes. One of them is a VMA Moonman figurine in

the form of a miniature astronaut (Lee). In 2013, not wanting to cross out the story behind this

kid, KAWS carefully modified the design of the figurine, giving it a resemblance to one of its

most famous corporate characters.

Comme des garçons

KAWS’s close relationship with Japan, which began at the beginning of his career,

resulted in something much more than just the design of vinyl toys. One of the artist’s most titled

Japanese partners was the fashion house Comme des Garçons, in the framework of cooperation

with which KAWS developed the unisex perfume Girl design (Lee).

UNIQLO

Despite a very budgetary pricing policy and massive positioning, the Uniqlo brand

managed to become famous for several high-profile collaborations, including a joint collection

with KAWS based on the cartoon “Peanuts”. The artist did not stop at simple t-shirts with prints,

presenting also sweatshirts, slippers and soft toys, which clearly show the signature element of

KAW’s - the famous X's in place of the eyes (Lee).

Nike and Jordan

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In 2008, Nike, became interested in a young but already renowned artist, and invited

Brian to work on a joint release (Lee). The basis was the model Nike Air Max 90, which the

artist transformed into one of his characters with cross-eyes. After almost 10 years, the tandem

repeated success, releasing a joint edition of Air Jordan VI, which is currently priced in the

secondary market in the amount of $ 1,400 to $ 2,000 (Lee).

The Cultural Titan

Right before the second decade in the 21st century Donnelly grew from simply being an

authority in the world of culture and turned into a true titan of world art. With every coming year

the artist conducted more gallery exhibitions around the whole world. His Companions were

present at the Thanksgiving Day Parade and his company OriginalFake was at the height of their

popularity. Donnelly enjoyed success and fame working in cooperation with the world’s most

famous brands (Richardson). However, in 2013 the artist, with no evident explanation,

announced that OriginalFake was in for a shut-down. After this step down off the commercial

path, the artist turned more towards art. His collaborations were rare, whereas more of his

sculptures appeared (Richardson).

One can only assume that after KAWS attained popularity, the artist wanted to conform to

his true calling and the traditional world of art. At this moment Donnelly turned his back on the

subculture, which actually propelled him into the business (Richardson). Thus, by 2016, his

activity in fashion was almost at zero point. Nonetheless, soon a revival period started. At the

start of 2016 a new collaboration with UNIQLO was started. In 2017 a new collaboration with

Nike and Jordan (Richardson). KAWS’s products re-appeared on the shelves with people

scouring for them in an attempt to acquire. Naturally, the artist made a chance to return to street-
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wear that was again successful. These collaborations in 2016/2017 helped Donnelly acquire

recognition amongst the millennials, who can be considered as the new generation of cultural

fanatics (Richardson).

Despite this return, there are many who blame KAWS for being too commercial and

aiming to earn more. Yet, surprisingly, Vanity Fair stood up to the artist’s defense. In an article in

2018 Dorian May reminds everyone that Michelangelo’s art was the result of the orders that the

latter received, and he too could be considered a sellout (May). True enough, no-one does think

about Michelangelo that way anymore. This may be considered a joke by someone, yet there is

some truth in this. KAWS merit is that this artist has managed to combine the un-combinable, to

blur the boundaries between the high and low art (Richardson). After all, how many artists were

offered a collaboration with Dior, Jordan, Kanye West and they increased sales sky-high? KAWS

is unique in that Donnelly offers a full range of products in all price categories, having at the

same time luxury goods and those that are affordable (Richardson). Everyone has the chance to

get his/her KAWS product. This is what makes the artist unique. Considering the fact that the

artist has found himself and understood where his art is most demanded, one is of the opinion

that the name of KAWS will continue to be on the first pages of fashion and street-wear

magazines for many years to come.

Conclusion

Fashion design always begins with inspiration, and where it comes from is known only to

the creators themselves. Of course, we live in a multicultural society, which with the

development of means of communication has become a global village, and to some extent, the

boundaries between cultures are blurred. That is why a lot of "new" created by designers, there is
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nothing like the appropriation of an existing one. In many respects, appropriation has become

part of our collective memory, so many fall into this trap. It is clear that Brian Donnelly, or

KAWs as the artist is mostly known as, has built his art around appropriation. In fact, the

question of appropriation in the fashion industry leads to a dead end and again makes one think

about the eternal dispute: is fashion for art’s sake or for commerce? If art, then where are the

boundaries of permitted fantasy and sources of inspiration and how to politically correctly

submit and sell this art, if it is inspired by something else. KAWs has built his image and his art

business with a greater lean towards commerce. Hence the numerous joint projects and

appropriations with Kanye West, MTV, UNIQLO, Nike and Jordan, and many more not

mentioned here. It seems that each viewer must decide for himself, what is the KAWs art. My

personal opinion is that it is art and Donnelly’s sense of self-expression is aimed by the artist

foremost at increasing the size of his bank account.

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Works Cited

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New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences 4. 11 (2017): 232-239.

Castano, Ivan. “Art Phenom KAWS Creates Brand-New KAWSBOB Pieces for Upcoming

SpongeBob SquarePants 400 Race at Kansas Speedway, May 9.” Entertainment Business

Newsweekly (2015): 14. Print.

Rundle, Guy. “Exhibition Mute Melancholy.” Arena Magazine (Fitzroy, Vic), No.

 162, Oct 2019: 51-52.

Indrisek, Scott. "KAWS." Modern Painters 25.10 (2013): 31-32. Web.

Schacter, Rafael. The world atlas of street art and graffiti. Yale University Press, 2013.

Yap, Xuan Wei. "Hublot loves art!." Art Asia Pacific 113 (2019): 42.

“Appropriation.” Tate.org.uk. 2019. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/a/appropriation.

Accessed 16 November 2019.

Artsy. “KAWS: Companions.” Artsy. 2019. 2016. Accessed November 26th 2019 at

https://www.artsy.net/collection/kaws-companions

Chin, Malory. “A Rare KAWS "Seated Companion" Gets Auctioned off for $411,000 USD.”

HYPEBEAST. 2017. Accessed November 26th 2019 at

https://hypebeast.com/2017/5/kaws-seated-companion-sold-400-thousand-usd-auction

Fong, Billy. “Cool Art.” Papercitymarg.com. 2016. Accessed November 26th 2019 at

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skate-rats-modern-art-museum-fort-worth/

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arts-cork.com/painting/graffiti-art.htm .

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hk0912/lot.8.html

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obsessed-with-him/

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