KAWS

KAWS is a notable limited-edition toy designer born and raised in New Jersey. KAWS first became interested in graffiti in elementary school, where he spent a good deal of time copying graffiti images onto paper. He obtained his BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Immediately after graduation in 1996, KAWS began working as a freelance artist creating animated backgrounds. Once KAWS began to gain popularity, his graffiti advertisements became highly sought after.

In the late 1990s, KAWS began to design and produce limited-edition toys. These gained international popularity, particularly in Japan. He also began to collaborate with other artists and designers on different toys, including with fashion designer and producer, Nigo, for A Bathing Ape. KAWS has had many solo exhibitions including at The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield, CT, the Harris Museum in Preston, UK, the Parco Gallery in Tokyo, Japan, and the City Gallery Chastain in Atlanta, GA. His solo exhibition, OriginalFake at the Bape Gallery in Tokyo, Japan, featured a sculpture entitled Wonderful World, which sold for US$400,000. KAWS’s traveling exhibition, Beautiful Losers, toured throughout Europe and the United States and included a showing at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, GA.

The artist currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.