Street artist/fashionista/design world darling Kaws is bringing the latest iteration of his “Companion” creation to Hong Kong in grand fashion, with an exhibition of a 37-meter inflatable sculpture of the morose, Mickey Mouse-esque character set to be floated in Victoria Harbour later this month.
It’s just like Muhammad Ali said: Float like a butterfly, sting like a commercially successful-yet-thematically ambiguous piece of modern art.
Kaws posted some shots to Instagram of a recent “inflation test” at what appears to be a Hong Kong shipyard (along with some pics of the copious amounts of merch accompanying the installation).
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu2TakrB93T/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The sculpture will depict Companion sprawled across the water in a stance described as “reclining” by organizers (and as “corpse-like” by us).
The installation is a collaboration between the artist and AllRightsReserved, the agency behind the decidedly cheerier yellow rubber ducky floated in Hong Kong’s harbor in 2013.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjyxDOdnnBF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
This won’t be the first sculpture of Companion to visit the city, though it will certainly be the biggest. Kaws — also known as Brian Donnelly — exhibited a seven-meter “Companion” piece, complete with Companion companions, at Harbour City in 2014.
The new installation will run from March 22 — March 31, and will coincide with Hong Kong Arts Month and this year’s Art Basel exhibition. Versions of the piece were recently exhibited in Seoul and Taipei.
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