Category Archives: KAWS

RESERVE CHANNEL: ARTST TLK HOST PHARRELL WILLIAMS INTERVIEWS KAWS AND DAVID SALLE

The street artist, KAWS, made a big splash into the mainstream recently by having his tweaked out Mickey Mouse, or “Companion,” as part of the venerable Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. You can watch an in depth interview with KAWS and renowned painter David Salle on RESERVE CHANNEL’s “ARTST TLK,” hosted by Pharrell Williams, a super talented man himself: rapper, singer, record producer, composer and fashion designer.

As David Salle describes the artist’s life, “It was understood that it would be a hard scrabble at best. You relied on your community of artists.” This proves an excellent entry point for the conversation as all three men share ideas and insights. “I would take the PATH train…and just get out and bomb the highways,” begins KAWS. He later explains his relationship with the advertisement saturated world of NYC and the series of works he has done that, well, technically “deface” ads. This is a way to find “a coexistence,” KAWS says, with all the ads that dominate our lives.

RESERVE CHANNEL’s “ARST TLK” has got a certain style that Pharrell Williams will surely continue to build and take us viewers on many intriguing journeys.

Check out the whole line-up of RESERVE CHANNEL shows on YouTube. Press release follows:

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Filed under Art, KAWS, Pharrell Williams, YouTube

ART: KAWS: Some Edge at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade included a balloon even more ironic than SpongeBob SquarePants. This little gray guy, by the artist, KAWS, gives the holiday season some edge whether it needs it or not. Do we really need a smirk with our good cheer? No, but what the hell, we don’t need a lot of things. If you take a closer look at the KAWS character, his eyes are X’d out. We’ve come a long way since Snoopy. For those keeping score at home, perhaps the nontraditional KAWS balloon is one of the most honest items in the parade. Enjoy.  Here is the blurb all about it at our friends at Gothamist:

Graffiti artist KAWS has a balloon—Companion—as part of Macy’s Blue Sky Gallery that features balloons by famous artists (last year, Tim Burton had a ballon; the year before that, Takashi Murakami had balloons; previous years also include Keith Haring and Jeff Koons).

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Filed under Art, KAWS, pop culture