Kaws Companion arrives at 30th Street Station In Philadelphia

One of our favourite artists here at Fat Buddha Store has to be New York City based Kaws. He began his career as a graffiti artist growing up in Jersey City, New Jersey. Later moving to New York City in the 1990s. KAWS started subverting imagery on billboards, bus shelters and phone booth advertisements. These reworked advertisements were at first left alone, lasting for up to several months, but as KAWS’ popularity skyrocketed, the ads became increasingly sought after. Moving on some years he has collaborated with some of the best brands around, such as Nike, Vans Comme Des Garcon, Medicom, Original Fake and many more and produced some of the most recognisable characters and pieces of art. In addition to New York, KAWS has done work in Paris, London, Berlin, Tokyo and all around the globe.

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), in collaboration with Amtrak, has arranged for Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station to be the next location to host KAWS’ popular, 16-foot Companion (Passing Through) sculpture. First seen in Hong Kong, Companion has also traveled to New York; The Aldrich Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut; The High Museum, Atlanta; and The Modern in Fort Worth. He introduced the now famous Companion in 1999 as a seven and three-quarter-inch limited edition toy featuring KAWS’ signature inflated skull and crossbones, with a skinny-legged Mickey Mouse body. KAWS chose Mickey Mouse after a search for the most recognizable and international character in the cartoon world to “take down.” Since then, the Companion has grown in scale and now features the iconic figure sitting down and covering its face with white-gloved hands.
You can check out the video below documenting the event.



You can find some of Kaws and Medicom's limited edition Bus Stop sets 1 and 2 still available here at Fat Buddha Store alongside lots more from our vinyl toy range, but be sure to grab one quick as they won't be here for much longer.