Available works

This painting is a pictorial interpretation of the character COMPANION, created by KAWS. It is made in acrylic on canvas and measures 162 × 130 cm.

Here, COMPANION can be read as an image of vulnerability laid bare. Its familiar toy-like appearance coexists with exposed anatomy, leaving the sense of safety incomplete. The figure remains still, arms hanging down, as if showing the inside of its body had become an everyday condition. This restraint recalls the effort to maintain outward calm when one feels unprotected. The division of the face reinforces the ambiguity of the encounter, with one eye reduced to an X and the other open, attentive to the viewer.

According to Christie’s catalogue, KAWS created the first FLAYED COMPANION in 2006 for his Tokyo store, OriginalFake. The two halves expressed the contradiction in the name, which brings together the ideas of original and fake.

The graffiti background places this quiet figure in an environment that may feel noisy and demanding. Intersecting lines and drips create restless movement around its still posture. A companion is someone who accompanies another; in this composition, the character appears alone, oriented toward the viewer. This solitude can be read as expressing a need for connection amid the sensory overload of city life.

KAWS is the name used by artist Brian Donnelly, born in 1974. His practice connects painting and sculpture with urban culture and design. COMPANION first appeared in 1999 as a limited-edition toy figure; over time, the artist developed it at different scales and in different materials.