Starting with my first large scale sculpture titled COMPANION: OriginalFake that was created for my store in Tokyo in 2006 up to my latest sculptures titled Good Intentions and New Home. The sculptures and paintings for the Yorkshire Sculpture Park exhibition were a selection of works made over the last ten years. How do the sculptures in this show at Yorkshire Sculpture Park fit in to the wider context of your work? I spoke to him just after the show opened about the importance of context and appealing to a broad age group. The works KAWS chose for Yorkshire Sculpture Park were picked for their personal resonance for the artist, although he’s clear that viewers should experience the works independent of his own agenda: ‘it’s important for me to not impose those thoughts on the viewer’. Both in his sculptures and branded collaborations, a sense of loss and melancholy marks the work - figures often stand with their heads hung, or as on the album artwork for Kanye West, hearts are broken. KAWS started his career as an animator and alongside his graphic design campaigns and sculptures has since gone on to work with Pharrell on the design of his perfume bottle for Girl, with MTV to redesign the VMA award in 2013 and with Kanye West on the album artwork for 808s & Heartbreak.

808s and heartbreak kaws