KAWS

This catalogue documents the firstexhibition in the Middle East by KAWS (Brian Donnelly, born 1974, USA).The solo show explores his career and vast oeuvre and features paintingsand sculptures made over the past 20 years.

KAWS' imagery haslong possessed a sophisticated, dark humour, revealing the interplaybetween art and consumerism, referencing both art history and popculture. Donnelly began his career in street art in the 1990s, becomingsynonymous with the name KAWS, a tag that became a staple in his'sub-vertisments' (modifications of commercial works).

In additionto more than 40 major pieces exhibited in the Garage Gallery, examplesof commercial collaborations designed by KAWS, among them sneakers,skateboards, and toys are on view in a separate archive above Café 999. Amassive 5-meter-tall sculpture, COMPANION (PASSING THROUGH) (2013), in the Fire Station courtyard and an inflatable 40-metre public artwork at the Dhow Harbour, HOLIDAY (2019), also serve to highlight the exhibition.