Posts Tagged ‘Elmo’

KAWS family

Posted: January 29, 2024 in galleries
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At the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) until 31 March 2024 is ‘KAWS Family’, an exhibit of work by Brian Donnelly who is a Brooklyn artist also known as KAWS.  Donnelly started his career in graffiti, especially defacing ads and other illustrations.   He also worked for a while as an illustrator including a stint with Disney.  This exhibition includes sculptures, paintings, and drawings.

This is a sample of what is showing at the AGO

below: Very much resembling Mickey Mouse with his over sized boots and big white hands, is Companion, the central character in this sculpture.  Companion made his debut in 1999 as an 8 inch high plastic toy figure.  He has since appeared in many sizes and situations.  Here he is carrying a limp pink figure in a piece titled “Gone”.  The pink character is based on Sesame Street’s Elmo.

in a gallery, paintings on wall, a person sitting on a bench, and a sculpture by KAWS of a large grey mickey mouse inspired character carrying a limp form of a pink character

below: Space suited Companion.  An Elmo sits in the background.   And yes, Companion has been to space – or at least into the stratosphere, more than 40 km up.

reflective silver colour KAWS family sculpture in the middle of the room in a gallery with far wall painted pink

below: From the back.  A pink Accomplice stands in the background.  Accomplice always has rabbit ears.

art gallery of ontario, rear of silver sculpture with pink wall reflected in the metal, other pink sculpture in the background along with 2 D artwork on the walls of two large red hands

below: A grid of sketches inspired by Snoopy, the lovable beagle created by Charles M. Schulz in his “Peanuts” cartoon.

person on bench in front of artwork at a gallery, snoopy inspired black and white sketches in a grid on the wall. about 50 squares

monotome grey sculpture of character based loosely on mickey mouse, holding a blue elmo from sesame street doll

below: The exhibit is scattered over at least places at the AGO including the Galleria Italia.

larger than life size sculptures in galleria area of art gallery of ontario, a man walks among them,

kaws sculpture of character with hands over eyes, wood, in art gallery of ontario

below: The pink character is Chum which is obviously inspired by the Michelin Man.  Like all of the KAWS figures, it has X’s for eyes and a skull shaped face.  the official mascot of the Michelin tire company.  The Michelin Man, or  his ‘real name’ Bibendum, was introduced in 1894 and is the oldest still active trademark.

art gallery of ontario, kaws family exhibit parts

below: Taking photos (even if it means ignoring the words on the floor!).

two women in an art gallery, one is taking photo of the other who is mimicking pose of sculpture's character, sitting on ground with hands over eyes

below: “Good Intentions”

two monotome grey sculptures of characters based loosely on mickey mouse, a parent and a child clinging to parent's knee, title is Good Intentions

There are many more on his Instagram page – KAWS

aging on the Milky Way

Posted: January 12, 2023 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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Exposed to the elements, overgrown with ivy or bushes, and left on its own to gracefully age.  To fade; to peel.  That is the fate of a lot of street art, especially those in lanes and alleys.  Milky Way Lane is no exception and this blog post features a few pictures that I took last week.   I have posted many of these before, back in their youth.

 

on upper and lower part of wall, fish graffiti, blue on top and pink below, in the middle is a yellowmetal railing with a yellow square covered with with graffiti including the outline of an orange t shirt

below: Fear and dead ivy in the alley

looking down Milky Way Lane on a grey winter day, dead overgrown vines on a building and across the hydro wires, leafless little shrubs growing up against the building on the left

street art and graffiti and a large mailbox by the door of number 55

graffiti on a door, red and white

below: This enormous one eyed ice cream cone monster replaces another Buff Monster creation, also on a pink background.

garage covered with dead ivy and a garage door painted pink with a one eyed monsterin black and white

below: Preserving their modesty, two of the people painted once upon a time by Philip Saunders.

old mural by Philip Saunders, a couple holding hands, origianlly with no clothes on but the bodies have been painted over and their modesty preserved

orange rusty metal door in a fence in an alley

corrugated metal wall or fence with little alien spacemen graffiti

street art on a door, lion with grey man, standing upright, cartoon movie character,

small black stencil, person head and shoulders wearing a black balaclava

part of a street art mural, a person in brown and beige tones with open mouth, screaming, someone has add a red line coming out of the mouth

street art mural with the words forty seven in shaddes of orange, on a wood fence

peeling street art on a wood fence in an alley

in the corner of a mural, a little brown cone shaped character with big eyes and an orange hat

below: A square Elmo

Elmo painted on a square garage door in an alley

black and white heart with smiley face, graffiti, and the words love daddy

on a wood fence, two stars, old street art, fading and peeling, trash on the dead leaves at the bottom of the fence

Parkdale mural in Milky Way Lane

brick wall, paint is peeling, two bricks are entirely exposed

close up of dead ivy on a metal wall that has green and black street art on it

below: Part of a “Stay Home” COVID mural by Elicser Elliott, 2020

Elicser Elliott stay at home mural from 2020. A young man holds a roof over his head

below: Still looking good, a moonman mural from 2020

mural by moonman painted in 2020, a snake-like character