Featured above are the iconic “COMPANION” characters fashioned by legendary Jersey City native KAWS installed on the riverfront in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. What follows are several more images of curious characters captured in NYC open spaces:
Bristol native and renowned stencil artist Nick Walker at the Bushwick Collective
Gowanus-based artist David Barthold with Beam Center youth apprentices, “Hurly-Whirly” at 4th Ave and 2nd St in Brooklyn
Miami native Woody De Othello,”Inner Knowing” on view in his outdoor sculpture exhibit “Guardian Spirit” at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Hawaii native Buff Monster on the Lower East Side
LA native Frank Ape outside the Ridge Hotel on the Lower East Side
Miami-based Golden at Boone Avenue Walls in the Bronx
Photo credits: 1, 2, 5-7 Lois Stavsky; 3-4 Tara Murray
Few artists who began hitting walls in the 90’s have achieved the commercial success — as well as recognition from the “art world” — that Jersey City-native KAWS has. Through Saturday, you can check out some of his newest works in two spaces here in NYC. Pass the Blame, KAWS’s exhibit in Madison Avenue’s Galerie Perrotin is — at first glance — a collection of huge, colorful, iconic cartoon characters. But on closer inspection, there’s an entire world within each character — from gumdrops to a range of body parts and shapes, including eyes and mouths, to characters within characters. And when seen as a whole, the figures appear to be interacting — some pointing, some glaring and, as the title suggests, passing the blame in this colorful commentary on human behavior. Here are a few more images from KAWS’s uptown exhibit:
Should I Be Attacking?
Pass the Blame
Take the Cure and Point of Disorder, on the right
And at the Mary Boone Gallery in Chelsea, two huge impressive sculptural works are on view, as well:
Along the Way
At This Time
Close-up
Written by City-as-School intern Annie Loucka with Lois Stavsky; photos of KAWS’s pieces at Galerie Perrotin by Annie Loucka and Lois Stavsky; of KAWS’s sculptures at Mary Boone by Dani Reyes Mozeson
