Summary
- KAWS debuts THERAPY solo exhibition at Galerie Max Hetzler
- Highlights include “SPACE (2023),” which reimagines COMPANION as a melancholic astronaut, alongside new paintings featuring CHUM in existential moments
- The exhibition will be on view until August 9, 2025
KAWS has unveiled THERAPY, a solo exhibition at Galerie Max Hetzler, marking his first collaboration with the Berlin-based gallery. Known for blending popular culture with fine art, KAWS brings his bold gestures, playful compositions and emotionally charged characters to the forefront. The exhibition features a series of paintings and a monumental sculpture, exploring themes of human vulnerability and connection through his iconic hybrid cartoon figures.
In his new series of paintings, KAWS continues his exploration of seriality, featuring variations of “CHUM”, a character he developed in the late ’90s. Set against paint-stippled backgrounds, the works juxtapose sharp outlines with spontaneous textures, reminiscent of spray-painted street art. Shadows give the figures a sculptural depth, blurring the line between graphic illustration and fine art. Several compositions depict “CHUM” holding up a canvas, creating an image-within-an-image, while others place the character in existential moments.
The exhibition’s focal sculpture, “SPACE (2023)”, presents an iteration of KAWS’ “COMPANION”, a character first introduced as a vinyl toy in 1999. Standing at street level in the Bleibtreustraße 15/16 gallery, the stainless steel figure reimagines “COMPANION” as a melancholic space explorer, dressed in an astronaut suit with an oxygen tank. Instead of holding a flag, it covers its eyes with gloved hands, reflecting themes of resignation and existential contemplation. KAWS’ signature XX motifs, typically used for his characters’ eyes, now adorn the gloves, adding to the sculpture’s introspective tone.
KAWS’ THERAPY exhibition will remain at Galerie Max Hetzler until August 9, 2025.
Galerie Max Hetzler
Bleibtreustraße 45,
10623 Berlin, Germany
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