In a world exclusive exhibition, Pop Masters: Art from the Mugrabi Collection, New York, pairs these three superstars alongside artists inspired by their legacy. Together they paint a unique picture of Pop Art across the past 60 years to present Australia.

Pop Art is larger than life. Often witty and always insightful, it comments on commercial and popular culture by reimagining the world around us – transforming the everyday into the extraordinary.

In the spirit of Pop Art, this exhibition is adventurous and shamelessly bold, featuring legendary artists that defined a generation. Walk the creative cross-roads between art and life and ask yourself – what, actually, is Pop?

In Australia for 15 weeks only and exclusive to HOTA, come together to discover a story of Pop and experience this incredible collection of works up close, direct from New York. Be part of something extraordinary.

The featured artists are – Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Katherine Bernhardt, Kwesi Botchway, George Condo, Damien Hirst, Kaws, Joel Mesler, Richard Prince, Tom Sachs, Julian Schnabel, Mickalene Thomas and Tom Wesselmann.

The Legends of Pop Art Exhibition
18th February – 4th June 2023
HOTA, Surfers Paradise
www.hota.com.au

The exhibition title KAWS: Companionship in the Age of Loneliness foregrounds the emotional content of the artist’s work. Through his works KAWS celebrates generosity, support for others and the deep need we have for companionship. KAWS represents someone who is very much of our time in terms of working across contexts and in hybrid and collaborative ways, and his work presents an antidote or rejoinder to the increasingly toxic nature of public discourse and social media, and division within and across societies. He reminds us we need one another and that life should be lived as compassionately as possible to combat this ‘Age of Loneliness’, in the face of fear and hatred.

KAWS: Companionship in the Age of Loneliness is a major contribution to the growing international reputation of this contemporary artist. It follows KAWS’s recent solo presentations at Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (2016), the Yuz Museum Shanghai and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (2017) and the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Foundation (2019). This exhibition introduces audiences to the full range of KAWS’s artistic output, including a newly commissioned monumental sculpture (his largest bronze sculpture to date), paintings reworking pop-culture figures and an impressive collection of human-scale sculptural figures. KAWS’s collaborations with other artists will be explored in the exhibition and those with major brands on display in the dedicated pop-up shop along with his own products.

An accompanying publication, available from December 2019, features a situating essay by exhibition curator Dr Simon Maidment and a specially commissioned essay by renowned Canadian author Margaret Atwood. The book documents KAWS’s artistic practice across his whole career and incorporates installation documentation of the NGV exhibition.

KAWS: Companionship in the Age Exhibition
20 September 2019 – 13 April 2020
National Gallery of Victoria
www.ngv.vic.gov.au