Nyt 2013

Curator: Welcome. Here we have KAWS's "Nyt" created in 2013. It's primarily rendered in acrylic paint, showcasing a bold figuration. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Strikingly minimalist. The muted palette of pale skin tones, greys, and soft blue evokes a certain placidity. But then the "X" marks disrupt that completely. Curator: Indeed. These “X” marks are of course central to KAWS's vocabulary, repeatedly deployed on the eyes of the figures and are strongly symbolic. Considering the proliferation of these motifs throughout KAWS’s work, what meanings or cultural relevance can we derive from their omnipresence? Editor: Right. These Xs definitely speak to erasure or perhaps a symbolic death—or maybe something as simple as inaccessibility. What’s really interesting is how the material execution amplifies this. The flatness of the acrylic, the stark outlines, it's almost manufactured, robotic in its precision. Is there perhaps commentary on mass production embedded in the work itself? Curator: Fascinating observation. Thinking about this manufactured feel, KAWS’s works, though rendered through labor, mimic design aesthetics, so do we then consider the art a commodity ready for mass consumption, devoid of depth other than it's clean aesthetic? Editor: Precisely. And there's a strong echo of childhood iconography, from cartoons, especially with the rounded shapes. Curator: Yes! Do we associate a childlike sense of naivety with the simple and graphic imagery of the hands that mask the eyes? Are we meant to also assume that which hides behind them is innocent and carefree? Editor: Or could it be a self-conscious commentary? Are we hiding from harsh realities? Curator: That is astute. The piece, ostensibly simple, teems with questions concerning popular culture, childhood, death and industrial methods, all materialized so cleverly. Editor: I agree; by delving into how the forms were executed and then decoding the imagery through these universally recognizable icons, we can extract surprisingly critical questions about our society. Thank you! Curator: It was my pleasure. This offers so much on modes of consumption, inviting deeper discussions about societal reflections in the work.