Running Chum #1 2000

Kaws created Running Chum #1, a graphic painting, sometime after his birth in 1974. At first glance, the image seems simple: a cartoonish figure rendered in stark black and white. But the figure is more complex than it appears. Kaws emerged from the world of street art in New York City. He built a career subverting corporate advertising. His work is deeply embedded in the visual language of consumer culture. In this work we see the influence of familiar cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and the Michelin Man, but Kaws marks them with his trademark "X" eyes, suggesting something darker beneath the surface. Is he critiquing the art world's embrace of commercial imagery? Is he questioning the values of a society driven by consumption? To truly understand the artwork, we need to analyze it in the context of contemporary consumer culture. It is also essential to understand the art market that has elevated Kaws to international fame. This painting makes us consider the institutions that shape our understanding of art.