KAWS has opened a solo show on Fifth Avenue. An exhibition of sculptures and paintings is on view at the Gering & López Gallery.
I gave up on television years ago, so much of the inspiration for these works is lost to me. My approach to the pieces is based primarily on color and form and that seems to be enough as the art is successful on these merits. I searched for spongebob on youtube and found that I could not persevere more than a few seconds. But I like the paintings. Curiosity demands to know if the TV savvy public are really entering the works or merely humming a theme song. It is fair to suppose that it doesn’t really matter because with KAWS you can’t have one without the other.
The highlight of the show can be found in the beautifully installed bronze severed head self-portraits of the artist. There are 33 unique colors in all. Usually bronze is not painted because if an artist works in the medium they want it to be evident in the final product. The “candy coating” that has been applied forces the viewer to realize that there is more to KAWS than surface appearance.
KAWS
6 November – 23 December 2008
Gering & López Gallery
NYC
