KAWS - Yorkshire Sculpture Park

KAWS
aka - Brian Donnelly
- Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Website: http://www.ysp.co.uk/exhibitions/kaws
Artists website: http://www.kawsone.com/shop
Artists blog: http://www.kawsone.com/blog

I managed to make it down to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park today to take a look at a visual artist and sculpture who has inspired my practice for quite some time. Finding out that 'KAWSONE' was over from NY in the states and set up his first UK exhibition here so close to Leeds was an opportunity I couldn't miss.

I first discovered Kawsone via instagram and was instantly transfixed by his acrylic painted pieces and use of strong, bold, neon like colours to depict subjects that seemed almost childlike and familiar - but that had been amped up to a highly refined graphic -design style aesthetic.


It was only after following KAWS for a few moths that I realised painting wasn't the only final applications or his artwork and that 3D pieces, screen printing, 4D etc all played a part in the visual mission that is KAWS. Object and environment play a large part in my own practice, i like the physicality of 3d and the intricacy of 2d - so to find a synergy between the two is what I strive for. KAWS has this down to a perfection.

This exhibit is on until June 12th and I urge anyone to take a trip to check it out. The craftsmanship and sheer scale of this collection has such impact and emotion, I hope to be able to employ some of KAWS approaches to visual creativity into my own practice one day. Playing with scale, i feel, is a simple and direct way to catch your audiences attention, manipulate atmosphere and emotion, engage, immerse and transport an audience to somewhere else entirely. Great stuff!






KAWS product research (from the exhibition):

I found this really key in terms of thinking about the application of my illustrations for OUIL505. A larger set of illustrations, maybe murals etc or large scale 3D work supported by a collection of smaller scale products and accessories - aimed at consumers visiting the gallery & exhibit and making their way to the gallery shop afterwards, is a strong collection and more likely to engage with a wider audience.

Setting up the exhibition:




Interview with KAWS:

The Exhibition:

My photos from the trip:

Things to take forward: 
• Use of simple shapes 
• Block colours
• Play on familiar subjects (to resonate with audience)
• Scale play
• dimension play (2d, 3D, 4D)
• Art as products - art itself can act as products:
- stationary
- modelsc/ toys / 3d figurines
- fashion (bags, t-shirts)
- Illustrative (high quality prints, posters)
- Informative (leaflets, pamphlets, postcards etc - describing the artists (bio etc) / exhibition /
  ethos / artistic process / concept etc) - nice addition to be sold along side an exhibition as 
  a memento.