Piranhas When You're Sleeping, 2016

KAWS is a multi-faceted New York-based artist and designer, ranked as a highly influential figure in the contemporary urban art scene. Starting his career in the ‘90s as a freelance animator by day and a graffiti artist by night, he is regarded as one of the most successful cross-over artists of our generation. KAWS has achieved street and gallery accreditation with his distinctive and sophisticated graphics. He is widely recognized for the repeated use of a hybrid cast of well-known cartoons, mascots, and human characters, resulting in the creation of a unique and universal visual language. Collaborating with global brands, KAWS challenges our conception of ‘high’ and ‘low’ art. His paintings, although abstract at first sight, are a deconstruction of appropriated pop culture characters into layers of abstract shapes.

Piranhas When You’re Sleeping is a limited edition print released in collaboration with Pace Prints to celebrate the art fair Art Basel Miami in 2016. Showcasing enigmatic parts of iconic cartoon characters encased in the shape of a frisky dolphin and rendered in KAWS’ signature palette of neon and vibrant contrasting colors, the artist blurs the line between original and intervention, form and content, cohabitation and celebration. The duo’s highly appealing editions sell out immediately following their release.