Just Be KAWS

This past week my husband and I spent a day in Fort Worth, visiting the three world-class art museums there within walking distance of each other. (NAEA 2013 conference attendees will get to see them when they come for the national conference in Fort Worth next year.)

I especially wanted to see the KAWS exhibit at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, since it wouldn't be on display much longer. KAWS is the name used by artist Brian Connelly, born in 1974.

I first learned about him through a feature on CBS Sunday Morning. Like Keith Haring, KAWS first was known as a graffiti artist but he also studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Like Andy Warhol, he has drawn subject matter from pop culture icons such as Sponge Bob Square Pants, Snoopy, and the Simpsons. He also makes art in all kinds of media - vinyl toy-like figures, sculptures, and paintings.

The figure seen here in the exhibition brochure is an eight-foot-tall, grayscale character based on Mickey Mouse, showing KAWS' signature Xs and skull-like head. The x-ray side reminds me of similar plastic see-through figures found in Japanese capsule toys. Not surprisingly, KAWS work is very popular in Japan.

I'm going to share this artist with my students this semester, as I think KAWS' work is very accessible for both elementary and secondary students and offers many possibilities for discussion of contemporary issues such as appropriation, visual culture, and aesthetics. Check out his entertaining blog for more about the artist.