Cover Photo: Instagram / @yk

What is The Ryan Foundation? Why is it trying to stop the Kaws: Holiday exhibition? What is the lawsuit about? Read on to find out the answers to these questions and more

Earlier today, a bombshell dropped when we first broke the news that the Kaws: Holiday exhibition had been ordered by the Singapore court to stop. The reason? The Ryan Foundation, a non-profit arts organisation, filed an interim injunction citing various reasons such as intellectual property rights infringement and misuse of confidential information.

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

The interim injunction was filed at 4.30pm, with a spokesperson from the foundation saying, “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.”

In case you missed it: Kaws:Holiday Exhibition Ordered to Stop in Singapore

In response to the injunction, organiser AllRightsReserved Limited told SCMP in a statement, “This is now being handled by lawyers. We reserve the right to seek remedies available by law.”

It’s a convoluted situation with many players involved, so we’re breaking it down so you can follow along more easily.

Here we go:

What is The Ryan Foundation?

According to its press release, The Ryan Foundation (TRF) is a “non-profit organisation promoting arts awareness and developing art projects to build communities in Singapore and internationally.” It was founded by lawyer and art collector Ryan Su in 2012, and has held exhibitions across Asia showcasing the works of renowned artists like Andy Warhol and Ryder Ripps. According to his LinkedIn bio, Su specialises in intellectual property and art law, having advised various artists, galleries and museums in legal matters, as well as a smattering of entertainment, media, technology and commercial matters.

TRF is named the plaintiff in the interim injunction ordering the stop of the Kaws: Holiday exhibition, as per the court document seen by Tatler Singapore.

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Instagram / @yk

What is the issue with the ‘Kaws: Holiday’ exhibition in Singapore?

Multiple reports have surfaced alleging that TRF was previously in talks with Hong Kong-based organiser AllRightsReserved Limited (ARR) in 2019 to hold a similar Kaws: Holiday exhibition. SCMP reports that the foundation alleged that it had introduced the Hong Kong organiser to contacts in the Singapore government, and that it proposed several merchandise ideas for the 2019 exhibition. The talks then fell through as a partnership agreement could not be reached.

This year, ARR announced on October 28 that it would be bringing the Kaws: Holiday exhibition to Singapore, to be held at The Float at Marina Bay, with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

According to the court document seen by Tatler Singapore, TRF then kicked off the application for an injunction against the exhibition, with TRF director Adrian Chan giving an affidavit on November 5, and the interim injunction being filed on November 11. The injunction was served as 4.20pm on Saturday afternoon, according to a report from the Straits Times.

The interim injunction requires 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. All advertising and publicity of the event will also have to be stopped.

Read more: “Their Accusation Is Baseless”: Kaws Speaks Out About Kaws: Holiday Exhibition Court Order

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Instagram / @yk

What is AllRightsReserved Limited?

AllRightsReserved Limited (ARR) is a Hong Kong-based creative agency founded by Hong Kong native SK Lam (aka Lam Shu-kam) in 2003, reports SCMP. The company is the longtime collaborator of the artist Kaws and has been involved in the curation and production of many of the artist’s exhibitions, including the current Kaws: Holiday exhibition in Singapore. It has been named in the court-ordered interim injunction as the defendant.

SK Lam is a well-known figure in the Hong Kong art world, having curated Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s giant floating rubber duck in the city’s Victoria Harbour, as well as working with Kaws to launch the Kaws: Holiday inflatable sculptures, which launched in South Korea in 2018, then travelled to Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan and Qatar.

Read more: Meet SK Lam, the Man Behind Hong Kong’s Most Successful Art Exhibitions

ARR has since released a statement calling the claims in the injunction “groundless” and described it an attempt to “cause interruption to the Kaws: Holiday Singapore exhibition”.

“Our company is in the process of seeking urgent legal advice and will apply to court to challenge the prohibitory injunction order,” 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.”

Tatler Asia
Above AllRightsReserved’s SK Lam and artist Kaws (Photo: Instagram / @aiksooon)

Who is Kaws?

Kaws, alias Brian Donelly, is an American artist and designer who is best known for his Companion sculptures—a clown-like figure loosely inspired by Mickey Mouse. The artist is a long term partner of ARR, who has worked with him since 2010, and they have previously held six Kaws: Holiday exhibitions in destinations like South Korea, Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan and Qatar. The artist also worked with ARR to create his first permanent outdoor bronze sculpture, Seeing/Watching, in 2018 at the Changsha IFS complex’s grand opening. 

Kaws started out as a graffiti artist and chose the name because of how good the letters looked next to each other. His roots as a street artist brought him fame among a diverse audience, and he rocketed to fame on the back of his instantly iconic Companion toys.

The artist has released a statement addressing the current situation. He said, “I have no contractual agreement with The Ryan Foundation. Their accusation is baseless.”

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