Earlier this year, Yuki Terase was appointed Sotheby's Head of Contemporary Art, Asia, based in Hong Kong. Terase is best known for curating well-received sales featuring collections from street fashion master NIGO and Asian pop icon T.O.P. This summer, Terase has curated a new sale Turn It Up presenting cutting-edge works by some of the hottest contemporary artists, including Yayoi Kusama, Nara Yoshitomo, George Condo, KAWS, Keith Haring and many more. The Value has chosen some highlights by KAWS.
Yuki Terase
KAWS is an American artist and designer who started his career as a graffiti artist. There has been strong demand for his works at auction in recent years and many of them sold for more than 1 million. Three of his works, including his classic work ‘companion’, were sold for a total of over HK$10m at Phillips Evening Sale in Hong Kong.
KAWSBOB, estimated at HK$90,000 - 150,000, places KAWS’ signature X-ed eyes on SpongeBob SquarePants. The cartoon character is rendered in three different colours, red, black and yellow. It exemplifies the artist’s position within the historical continuum that began with Pop Art.
A set of three companion figures in brown, black and grey colourways is estimated at HK$28,000 - 38,000. Each figure is 18 cm tall and drawn with a funny face at the back, together with the artist’s signature.
These two works are from No Future Companion, a collaborative project by KAWS and Hajime Sorayama. They were produced by Medicom Toy Life Entertainment and incised with the two artists’ signatures. One in black chrome and the other one in silver chrome, each carries an estimate of HK$30,000 - 50,000.
The sale also offers skateboard decks with eight works in one set, estimated at HK$130,000 - 180,000. It includes two skateboards, one in black and one in red, showing KAWS’ character Chum from OriginalFake.
Also from OriginalFake, this 127cm-tall figure features the anatomy of Companion. Estimated at HK$180,000 - 280,000, it was also produced by Medicom Toy.
Our last pick is a set of prints by thirty artists, which were published in 2002 by Aromatic. The set is estimated at HK$15,000 - 26,000. The most attention-grabbing piece in it was created by KAWS, depicting two companions doing the doggy style.
Selected highlights by KAWS (from high to low estimates)
Originalfake Companion (Brown)
Lot no.: 133
Created in: 2009
Edition: an edition of 100
Height: 127cm
Provenance:
Private Collection, Japan
Estimate: HK$180,000 - 280,000
Skateboard Decks (Eight Works)
Lot no.: 112
Provenance:
Private Collection, Asia
Estimate: HK$130,000 - 180,000
KAWSBOB: for the Aldrich/black/red (Three Works)
Lot no.: 108
Created in: 2011
Size: 50.7 x 50.7cm (each)
(i) KAWSBOB for the Aldrich: AP 11/20
(ii) KAWSBOB Red: AP 19/20
(iii) KAWSBOB Black: AP 19/20
Provenance:
Private Collection, Asia
Estimate: HK$90,000 - 150,000
KAWS X Hajime Sorayama. No Future Companion (Black Chrome)
Lot no.: 188
Created in: 2008
Height: 32cm
Edition: 74 from an edition of 500
Provenance:
Original Fake Store, Tokyo
Acquired by the present owner from the above
Estimate: HK$30,000 - 50,000
KAWS X Hajime Sorayama. No Future Companion (Silver Chrome)
Lot no.: 187
Created in: 2008
Height: 32cm
Edition: 412 from an edition of 500
Provenance:
Private Collection, Asia
Estimate: HK$30,000 - 50,000
KAWS. Companion: I. Brown Colourway/ Ii. Black Colourway/ Iii. Grey Colourway (Set of Three).
Lot no.: 189
Created in: 1999
Height: 18cm
Edition: an edition of 500 of each colourway
Provenance:
Hideout Store, London
Acquired by the present owner from the above
Estimate: HK$28,000 - 38,000
KAWS and Various Artists. I Like Printing (A Set of Thirty Prints)
Lot no.: 174
Created in: 2002
Provenance:
Acquired by the present owner directly from the publisher
Estimate: HK$15,000 - 26,000
Auction details
Auction house: Sotheby’s Hong Kong
Sale: CURATED: TURN IT UP
Lots offered: 102
Auction date: 2018/6/8｜6pm