KAWS Clean Slate

In 2014 Kaws presented a giant new sculpture, called Clean Slate, at an exhibition in Hong Kong's Harbour City. Measuring 7m high, it was at the time the artist's largest. He went on to make much larger ones. "Clean Slate" meant breaking with the past, and moving on to a new stage in life. This giant work played a major role in raising the artist's profile in Asia.

 

When we see this sculpture, we inevitably think of single-parent families, or the many couples who break up, and of course the consequences for their children. But we also see the loneliness and difficulty of bringing up several young children alone.

 

The vinyl sculpture was produced in collaboration with All Right Reserved in 2018, and is available in three versions: black, grey and brown. Each version has its own rigid cardboard packaging, with a polystyrene receptacle molded to the shape of the sculpture. Dimensions: 36x18x18 cm.

 

New York street artist Kaws emerged from the graffiti scene in the 1990s. A young artist influenced by pop art galleries, he began his career as a graffiti artist, penciling advertising posters for major brands on the streets of New York. Since the 2000s, he has produced some 50 small sculptures, featuring his most significant large-scale works of art (often shown in temporary exhibitions), and of course his most popular characters (Companion, Chum, BFF, Accomplice etc.). Particularly popular with collectors and contemporary art enthusiasts, these figurines have the advantage of being a very reasonably priced way to start a collection and enter the artist's world. They are generally published in limited editions of 500 copies (according to the artist), and they are edited in collaboration with a manufacturer who often also handles marketing, sales and distribution worldwide. Mostly made of vinyl material, these works of art resist ageing very well, but you should avoid exposing them to direct sunlight for long periods. It might cause a slight discoloration of the sculpture. Each version of the figurine, or art toy, has its own specially designed packaging, comprising a polystyrene receptacle with protective film, and a cardboard box with embossing. You have to keep the original packaging carefully as it is one of the most important authentication features of these sculptures.  The figurines making up Clean Slate were released in December 2018. They are now among the artist's iconic figurines.