KAWS & effect: experience a pop culture phenomenon

We met up with Brooklyn-based artist KAWS at his NGV exhibition featuring the likes of Mickey Mouse, Snoopy and Sesame Street’s Grover.
Read more at: connection.vic.gov.au/kaws-an...
Video transcript:
Georgina Jerums
Melbournians love their street art, so this exhibition is for you.
It features the work of KAWS who began his career as a New York street artist and is now globally renowned.
[Vision: KAWS sculpture in New York - sculptures on display in Melbourne]
KAWS’ real name is Brian Donnelly, and with more than 100 works on show you’ll experience the incredible range of his artistic output.
Brian Donnelly - aka KAWS
I use a lot of popular imagery.
[Vision: Various sculptures on display at the Art Museum by KAWS]
At one point I was doing it just because I liked the way that they exist within culture and they sort of just break through barriers, you know, internationally and you could be in countries where you’re not speaking the same language but you might have grown up on the same imagery.
[Vision: KAWS Companionship in the Age of Loneliness signage]
The title of the show and the theme of loneliness was the focal point that the museum wanted to take with my work.
[Vision: Various sculptures on display at the Art Museum by KAWS]
When I started creating sculptures, at first they were really static singular images, and then I started to create these sculptures that had a dialogue within themselves.
And I’ve always been interested in the human condition and just taking normal, just emotions that people have and how do I emulate that in the work that I make.
[Vision: KAWS speaking]
I love doing a show like this.
[Vision: Various sculptures on display at the Art Museum by KAWS]
It gets me to kind of just view past works and I can think about things that I want to do from there, you know I don’t really ever have a set plan I just sort of get back to work.
If anything I’d like to have sort of younger people just see this as one way that an artist made his path.
[Vision: Various sculptures and artwork on display at the Art Museum by KAWS]
This is how I navigate it you know, to where I am today.
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[Victoria State Government, authorised by the Victorian Government, Melbourne]