American street artist Kaws is unveiling a 42-metre-long inflatable sculpture in the Lion City on November 13
On November 13, there will be a new addition to Singapore's famous skyline: a colossal 42-metre-long sculpture by famed American street artist Kaws.
The work is the latest in the KAWS: HOLIDAY series, which has seen the artist create massive inflatable sculptures for cities such as Hong Kong, Seoul and Taipei.
The Singapore sculpture will be on display from November 13 to 21 at The Float @ Marina Bay, next to the Marina Bay Sands and the ArtScience Museum. It features two of Kaws' Companion characters—clown-like figures with crosses for eyes—embracing.
Kaws got his start as a street artist in New York in the late Nineties. Since then, he has gone on to build a global empire with his art, which often blurs the boundaries of fine art and product design. His most famous pieces are his collectible vinyl figurines, which are sometimes dismissed by art critics as toys, but which still sell for thousands of US dollars at auction.
His paintings, too, are in demand: in April 2019, his painting The Kaws Album, featuring The Simpsons' characters on a mock-up Beatles album cover, sold for US$14.8 million at Sotheby's in Hong Kong.
He has also collaborated extensively with brands such as Nike and Uniqlo.
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A series of limited-edition collectibles have been created to commemorate KAWS HOLIDAY: SINGAPORE. Among the items are a 10.5-inch long Companion figurine that comes in brown, grey and black; 500 limited-edition camping sets; a tank top; and a fan will be launched exclusively on the DDT Store at 10pm EST on November 12.
Speaking about the project, which was developed in collaboration with Hong Kong studio AllRightsReserved and was supported by the Singapore Tourism Board, Kaws said: “At a time when international travel may be challenging for many, I am thankful for the opportunity through the ongoing HOLIDAY project to bring art experiences to different localities, and am excited to come to Singapore for the first time.”