"I have always been interested in communication. Even back then, I was a young kid trying to make work-and get work into the world-and it hasn't changed much."
Brian Donnelly, known as KAWS, is a Brooklyn-based artist whose playful yet thought-provoking characters have redefined the intersection of street culture, design, and contemporary art. He began in the early 1990s as a graffiti artist in New York, later transforming his iconic Companion, BFF, and Chum figures into paintings, sculptures, and editioned toys that circulate globally.
KAWS has been featured in major international exhibitions and installations, including KAWS: FAMILY at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (Nov 2025 - May 2026), which included a 11-meter-tall inflatable Companion, and a site-specific installation at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence (2025). His work blends humor, familiarity, and emotional resonance, engaging audiences across generations while bridging high art and popular culture.