{"id":62531,"date":"2026-07-27T09:47:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T00:47:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/?post_type=insights&p=62531"},"modified":"2026-07-27T09:51:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T00:51:05","slug":"%ec%b9%9c%ea%b5%ac-%ea%b7%b8%eb%a6%ac%ea%b3%a0-%ec%9d%b4%ec%9b%83","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/en\/insights\/62531","title":{"rendered":"FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAWS<\/p>\n

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Installation View (1)<\/em><\/p>\n

Space K Seoul is pleased to present FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, the first museum exhibition in Korea by Brooklyn-based artist KAWS (Brian Donnelly, b. 1974), on view from July 23 to December 27, 2026. Featuring over 20 works, including new paintings and sculptures of the artist\u2019s iconic characters, the exhibition delves into the duality of close relationships, highlighting the comfort and conflict, as well as the intimacy and discomfort, inherent among friends and neighbors.<\/div>\n
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KAWS\u2019s artistic journey began in the 1990s in the streets of New Jersey and New York, rooted in graffiti and advertising interventions. Since then, his practice has expanded to encompass painting, sculpture, graphic design, toys, product design, fashion, and public art. In doing so, he has continuously blurred the boundaries between fine art and popular culture, artwork and commercial products, and the streets and the museum. Characterized by familiar figures, vibrant color palettes, and his signature X-ed out eyes, KAWS\u2019s imagery has evolved into a contemporary visual language instantly recognizable to audiences worldwide. By channeling universal human emotions such as love, friendship, loneliness, and alienation through specific characters, KAWS\u2019s work evokes deep empathy from the audience.<\/div>\n
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Installation View(2)<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS focuses on the most everyday yet complex relationships in our lives: friends and neighbors. A friend represents a chosen intimacy, while a neighbor is a bond formed by chance proximity. Both can be sources of comfort and support, but their very closeness can also breed misunderstanding, friction, and discomfort. In this exhibition, KAWS uses these familiar roles to explore the meaning of living together, expressing the subtle emotions that arise within these bonds.<\/div>\n
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Notably, the exhibition centers on new works featuring CHUM, one of KAWS\u2019s iconic characters. CHUM is characterized by a round, inflated body reminiscent of the Michelin Man. In these new pieces, two CHUM figures appear in everyday settings, such as a fenced yard or a playground, grabbing and pushing each other. This marks a distinct shift from the solitary, introspective postures or the comforting, supportive embraces often seen in KAWS\u2019s previous characters. While their soft, exaggerated cartoonish forms humorously cushion the physical clash, they simultaneously conceal the underlying tension and unease inherent in close relationships. KAWS\u2019s portrayal of these “feuding neighbors” reminds us of the friction and misunderstandings that still occur with those closest to us, even in today\u2019s hyper-connected society.<\/div>\n
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KAWS, NECK AND NECK, 2026, Bronze, 231 x 208 x 124.5 cm, Photo Farzad Owrang, Courtesy of Space K<\/em><\/div>\n
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The title of the sculpture, NECK AND NECK (2026),<\/em><\/strong> originates from the idiom used to describe a race so fiercely competitive that it is impossible to determine a leader, with competitors running side by side. However, rather than simply depicting a moment of rivalry, the two figures in this sculpture are locked in an uncanny standoff, grabbing at each other’s necks in a tense push-and-pull struggle. In KAWS\u2019s previous works, the pairing of two or more characters usually involved them embracing or leaning on one another, evoking a profound sense of solidarity and comfort. In stark contrast, the CHUM characters in this piece externalize their emotions, reacting actively to one another in a dynamic physical exchange. The sight of these characters\u2014whose very name means “friend”\u2014grappling and pushing each other implies that close relationships are not always peaceful. Ultimately, relationships can serve as a source of support, yet they can also become a field of tension where our boundaries are constantly tested.<\/div>\n
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KAWS, THE RED BALL, 2026, Acrylic on canvas, 218.4 x 218.4 cm, Photo Farzad Owrang, Courtesy of Space K<\/em><\/div>\n
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THE RED BALL (2026) portrays two characters engaged in a push-and-pull struggle against the backdrop of a playground. While a playground typically evokes nostalgic memories of childhood, play, and friendship, it is also our first social space\u2014a place where we learn about rules, competition, taking turns, and ownership, which often leads to minor disputes. In this piece, it is hard to tell if the characters are just playing or actually fighting. The red ball hints at the very source of this friction or tension between them. By placing these intense emotional conflicts into ordinary, peaceful settings like a playground, a bedroom, or a fenced yard, KAWS highlights the dramatic situations that can arise even in our closest relationships.<\/div>\n
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KAWS, THE LONG VIEW, 2026, Bronze, concrete, 243.8 x 195 x 122 cm, Photo Farzad Owrang, Courtesy of Space K<\/em><\/div>\n
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In the gallery, besides the figures wrestling with one another, two solitary sculptures sit on pedestals, facing each other from a distance. THE LONG VIEW (2026) and MEASURING SHADOWS (2026) rest on plinths, much like classical sculptures in a traditional museum. THE LONG VIEW depicts what is perhaps KAWS\u2019s most iconic character, COMPANION. Featuring a skull-like face, X-ed out eyes, crossbones on the sides of its head, and gloved hands, this figure first debuted as a vinyl toy in 1999. Since then, it has expanded into monumental sculptures, public art, and fashion collaborations, becoming a defining symbol of KAWS\u2019s artistic world. In this piece, COMPANION sits on a plinth, seemingly gazing far off into the distance.<\/div>\n
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KAWS, MEASURING SHADOWS, 2026, Bronze, concrete, 243.8 x 134.5 x 162 cm, Photo Farzad Owrang, Courtesy of Space K<\/em><\/div>\n
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The title, suggesting a long-term perspective, encourages us to slow down in our fast-paced lives and reflect upon isolation, anxiety, and the emotional gaps within our relationships. ACCOMPLICE in MEASURING SHADOWS draws likeness to a rabbit. Living up to its name, ACCOMPLICE holds a mix of cuteness and anxiety, feeling both familiar and eerie. The title MEASURING SHADOWS calls to mind the unquantifiable weight of our emotions and the unseen shadows of the human psyche. Shadows grow, shrink, and disappear depending on the light. Through this impossible task of measuring something intangible, KAWS prompts us to gauge the anxiety and distance we experience with others, as well as those inner feelings that are difficult to articulate.<\/div>\n
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KAWS, THERAPY, 2025, Acrylic on canvas, in 3 parts, 218.4 x 655.3 cm, Photo Farzad Owrang, Courtesy of Space K<\/em><\/div>\n
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In THERAPY (2025), eleven CHUM figures stand holding canvases painted with the sea. Viewed individually, each figure appears to be holding their own artwork. However, upon taking a step back, these individual pieces connect to form a single, monumental seascape. The inspiration for this work originated from a photograph KAWS came across online, which captured participants in an art class proudly showing off their finished paintings to one another. KAWS reimagined this scene with his CHUM characters holding individual canvases that collectively complete a landscape. The sea in the artwork resembles calm, gentle waves, but it also evokes an unpredictable landscape of the human mind. The sight of these characters, all in different colors, coming together to complete a single ocean with their individual canvases conveys a profound message that true healing begins through sharing our emotions and connecting with one another.<\/div>\n
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Installation View (3)<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Over the last thirty years, KAWS has engaged with different audiences by seamlessly crossing the boundaries between the street and the museum, popular culture and fine art. By invoking the familiar concepts of “friends” and “neighbors,” the exhibition examines the duality of comfort and conflict, intimacy and unease that arise among those closest to us. While KAWS\u2019s characters may look familiar, beneath their surface you will find loneliness, anxiety, and tensions in a relationship. FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS<\/em> lays bare the complex reality of what it takes to actually live together. Although KAWS’s imagery is beloved worldwide through public projects, fashion collaborations, and vinyl toys, his paintings and sculptures are read anew in this exhibition through the lens of relationships and human emotion. Ultimately, the exhibition leaves us with the realization that even loneliness and conflict are essential parts of living alongside others. In our hyper-connected world, it reaffirms that our modern-day “friends and neighbors” are, in fact, “true companions” who sustain and support one another.<\/div>\n
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In recent years, KAWS has participated in a succession of exhibitions at major institutions, garnering international acclaim. Notable exhibitions include KAWS: WHAT PARTY, Brooklyn Museum, NY (2021); KAWS: NEW FICTION, Serpentine Galleries, London (2022); KAWS: FAMILY, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (2023-2024); KAWS + WARHOL, The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh (2024-2025); and KAWS: FAMILY, SFMOMA (2025-2026). The SFMOMA show, in particular, marked the artist\u2019s first major museum exhibition on the West Coast. It provided a comprehensive survey of his three-decade-long career, showcasing his prolific output across a diverse array of mediums, including painting, sculpture, drawing, product design, fashion collaborations, large-scale public installations, and augmented reality.<\/div>\n
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Installation View (4)<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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To commemorate the KAWS exhibition, Kolon Sport will launch a limited-edition collection in Korea in mid-October, inspired by the show. This four-piece collection includes a waterproof GORE-TEX jacket, a graphic t-shirt, a graphic padded muffler, and a packable bag. By extending the exhibition into apparel and accessories, the collection is designed to bring KAWS\u2019s visual language into everyday life, translating the exhibition’s themes of connection, solidarity, and healing into a wearable form.<\/div>\n
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Space K is Kolon\u2019s arts and culture sharing space established in Gwacheon in 2011. In September 2020, it expanded and reopened as ‘Space K Seoul’ in Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu. Space K Seoul serves as a cornerstone of Kolon\u2019s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, presenting a variety of contemporary art exhibitions and cultural programs. Space K is committed to expanding the foundation of contemporary art by offering exhibition opportunities to emerging and under-recognized mid-career Korean artists, as well as introducing international artists who are relatively less known to the Korean audience. Its mission is to support the continuous creative endeavors of artists and provide a platform for the public to experience a broad spectrum of contemporary art.<\/div>\n
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SpaceK Seoul<\/div>\n
32, Magokjungang 8-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul<\/div>\n
02-3665-8918<\/div>\n
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