ART

TIME OFF: KAWS NEW EXHIBITION IN PARIS AT SKARSTEDT GALLERY

By Martina Conte

Beginning tomorrow, March 17th, Skarstedt Gallery is pleased to host KAWS’ first exhibition in their Paris gallery and his first show in the city in over a decade. TIME OFF will feature new sculptures and paintings by the artist, who has made these new series over the past year.

TIME OFF is an invitation to a deeper analysis and reflection on the changing nature of time. In each artwork CHUM, the undisputed protagonist of the artist’s works, appears embedded in complex bright and colorful bars that separate the viewer from the figure, connecting to the concept that time is a mental restriction and can sometimes be alienating.
Progressively in these series KAWS continues to explore these themes that we can describe as intimate and evocative, but leaving the viewers with a tangible optimism, which is expressed through the choice of bright colors and the sense of community in seeing multiple figures together. The artist captures the meaning of life and the innermost meaning of being human by creating absurd scenarios but also referencing to well-known cultural symbols.

KAWS’s success is also due to his playful yet bold and elegant language; drawing inspiration from pop culture cartoons, the artist has created his own artistic vocabulary that now characterizes him and makes him iconic and recognizable.
As seen in his collaborations with global brands, KAWS’s imagery is characterized by subtle humor and blurs the boundaries between art and commercial product. KAWS’s works are highly sought after by collectors both inside and outside the art world, giving the artist an absolutely unique place in today’s culture.

17 March – 22 April 2023
Skarstedt Paris, 2 Avenue Matignon

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KAWS,TIME OFF, 2021, bronze, patina, paint, 45 ¾ x 71 7/8 x 37 ⅝ inches (116.2 x 182.6 x 95.6 cm). © KAWS. Courtesy of the artist and Skarstedt, New York.