KAWS, as a unique representative of the modern art world, started his artistic journey from street graffiti to the global art stage step by step. As a creative pioneer across multiple art fields, KAWS’s first work not only marked the initial formation of his personal artistic style, but also laid the foundation for the later popular KAWS Sculpture series.
KAWS’s initial creative inspiration came from street culture and graffiti art. He left a large number of graffiti works with strong personal characteristics on the streets of New York. These works are often based on cartoon images, adding highly recognizable “X” eyes and splicing designs, which are both interesting and full of profound symbolic meaning. Such visual language is deeply rooted in popular culture, but with unique personal emotional expression, which has won him widespread attention.
KAWS’s first important work can be traced back to his early graffiti and poster series, the most representative of which are adaptations inspired by Mickey Mouse and The Simpsons. These works broke the shackles of traditional art forms and showed the public that art is not just a lofty creation, but can be part of any culture and any medium. The images and symbols in these early creations also paved the way for the birth of KAWS’s sculptures later.
As time went by, KAWS gradually turned his artistic creation from two-dimensional to three-dimensional, and his KAWS Sculpture series was born. These sculptures often use simple and smooth lines to create rounded, cartoon-like images. Sculptures like “Companion” and “BFF” have become iconic works of art. The unique style of KAWS Sculpture not only continues his early graffiti style, but also adds more artistic expression to the sculptural language. It has gradually moved from street art to global galleries and museums, becoming an important part of contemporary art.
In short, KAWS’s first work of art is not only the starting point of his personal artistic style, but also the beginning of his artistic creation across multiple fields. From street graffiti to modern sculptures, KAWS has continuously innovated and explored, perfectly integrating pop culture and contemporary art, and created the highly recognizable KAWS Sculpture series, which is loved by art lovers around the world.