Cover Photo: Instagram / @rkrkrk

AllRightsReserved has won its appeal against The Ryan Foundation and will open the Kaws: Holiday exhibition tomorrow

Update 15/11, 8.35pm: The Kaws: Holiday exhibition in Singapore will finally open to the public tomorrow!

In a media update this evening, Hong Kong-based organiser AllRightsReserved (ARR) announced the reopening of the exhibition: “This evening, and after hearing arguments from our legal team, the Court discharged the injunction and ordered the Ryan Foundation to pay AllRightsReserved the legal costs. The Court further ordered that there will also be an inquiry into the damages sustained by AllRightsReserved by reason of the injunction.”

The Kaws: Holiday exhibition will be open Nov 16-21, from 2-9pm at The Float at Marina Bay. Admission is free.

Update 15/11, 12.30pm: The Ryan Foundation (TRF) has started contempt of court proceedings against several organisers of the now-temporarily halted Kaws: Holiday exhibition.

According to the Straits Times, the application was filed against Hong Kong-based organiser AllRightsReserved (ARR), its founder Lam Shu Kam, Portia So Wai Kwan, Division Communications and its co-founder Douglas Khee, and Prudence Security Specialist.

On Saturday (November 13), TRF claims that it served the court order at 4.20pm to an ARR representative, before a private preview for selected media and social media influencers.

However, TRF alleged in its statement that the organisers continued with the preview until 7.30pm, “with music being played at the event, and with security and public relations personnel hosting and ushering invited guests into the venue, entirely disregarding the order of court.”

Neither the Singapore Tourism Board nor the artist Kaws (aka Brian Donnelly) have been named parties to the lawsuit.

Don’t miss: Here’s Why the Kaws: Holiday Exhibition Was Stopped, According to a Lawyer

Update 14/11, 1.20am: The organisers of the Kaws: Holiday exhibition have announced that the artwork venue—The Float at Marina Bay—will be temporarily closed, as a result of the court order.

Update 13/11, 11.25pm: In response to the interim injunction being issued against the Kaws: Holiday exhibition, ARR has released a statement refuting the claims as “groundless” and called it an attempt to “cause interruption to the Kaws: Holiday Singapore exhibition”. The company also said that “it is in the process of seeking urgent legal advice and will apply to court to challenge the prohibitory injunction order.”

In case you missed it: Kaws: Holiday in Singapore: Everything You Need to Know About the Ongoing Drama

The statement continued: “Our company takes this incident very seriously and will take all possible steps to ensure that this exhibition can progress in accordance with the laws of Singapore. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

The artist has also given a statement expressing support for ARR. “Together with ARR, I am honoured to exhibit Kaws: Holiday here in Singapore. The reception that I have received from the people here has been overwhelmingly positive and I am grateful to have this opportunity.”

He added, “I have no contractual agreement with The Ryan Foundation. Their accusation is baseless.”

Read more: Kaws:Holiday in Singapore: Artist Kaws on the Companion, NFTs and Getting His Work Into Every Home

Original post 13/11, 5.20pm: The Ryan Foundation has successfully applied for an interim injunction in court to stop the ongoing Kaws: Holiday exhibition at The Float at Marina Bay. Reasons cited include breach of intellectual property rights, as well as the misuse of confidential information.

Among the actions required as per the interim injunction include stopping the exhibition, which was supposed to take place from November 13 to 21, and the stop of the sale and distribution of merchandise related to the exhibition, according to court documents viewed by Tatler Singapore. All advertising and publicity of the event will also have to be stopped.

According to Yahoo Singapore, The Ryan Foundation previously worked with AllRightsReserved Limited (ARR) to try and bring the Kaws: Holiday exhibition to Singapore in 2019, but the negotiations were ultimately unsuccessful.

The injunction has been served this afternoon to a representative of ARR, the company behind the exhibition.

Read more: A Lawyer Explains Why the Kaws: Holiday Exhibition Was Stopped

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Instagram / @jsnjnr

“Our victory in court is for all the people who had worked tirelessly on the exhibition since 2019 and who share our purpose of making contemporary art accessible to people in Singapore. It is disappointing that various parties had known that confidential information and intellectual property rights, among other things, were at risk of being misused and still continue to be involved in a project that exploits home-grown stakeholders in the Singapore arts landscape. The injunction could have been averted if questions were raised and stakeholders consulted,” said Adrian Chan, director of The Ryan Foundation in a press statement.

“This is now being handled by lawyers,” ARR said in a statement to SCMP. “We reserve the right to seek remedies available by law.”

Neither the Singapore Tourism Board nor the artist Kaws (aka Brian Donnelly) have been named parties to the lawsuit.

Stay tuned for more updates.

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