After a legal challenge by the Ryan Foundation, KAWS—aka Brooklyn-based artist Brian Donnelly—is back on track in Singapore with his enormously successful touring public art installation. The non-profit claims it was involved in the show's conception and planning. While the show's producers, Hong Kong-based AllRightsReserved (ARR), and the artist were ecstatic at the verdict, sharing several posts and reactions to the news on social media, the foundation that made the claims appears to be sticking to its guns, stating that it intends to go to trial.
The Ryan Foundation, which was created by famed collector Ryan Su in 2012, got a court injunction late Saturday (November 13) that suspended the free show at Marina Bay, alleging that ARR had violated its intellectual property rights and misappropriated secret information.
The court decision not only put an end to the exhibition, but it also put a stop to the sale and distribution of associated items, as well as promotional activities. When the order was issued, a big group of VIPs were reportedly attending the official unveiling of Companion, a roughly 140-foot inflatable sculpture. The lawsuit does not include KAWS or the Singapore Tourism Board, which funded the exhibition.
After hearing arguments from the ARR legal team, the court discharged the injunction today, November 15. "The Court discharged the injunction and ordered the Ryan Foundation to pay AllRightsReserved the legal fees," ARR said in a statement to Artnet News. The Court also ordered an investigation into the damages suffered by AllRightsReserved as a result of the injunction. As a result, the 'KAWS: Holiday' exhibition can now reopen the following day!" The ARR applauded the decision, saying, "Justice has triumphed."
KAWS issued a statement saying: "We find it extremely despicable that the Ryan Foundation and Ryan Su sought to disrupt the free public exhibition in this unlawful fashion!" KAWS stated in a cheeky post.
"The injunction is only temporary, and we are glad that the public may see the artwork." As we continue to full trial, the public is now aware that the exhibition was created on proprietary material," said Adrian Chan, the Ryan Foundation's director. "The injunction could have been avoided if issues had been raised and stakeholders consulted," he previously told the South China Morning Post. This is a true David vs. Goliath situation."
"Kaws: Holiday," a two-week government-sponsored program, includes Companion. The artist's recurring Companion character, an often-oversized figure depicted in shades of gray and black with X-ed out eyes, is well-known to fans. In this Singapore iteration, it rests prone on its back near the sea, holding a tiny replica of itself to its bosom, as opposed to lowering its head mournfully in its hands. Su and Chan claim they started talking to ARR about bringing the inflatable figurines to Singapore in 2019.
The "Holiday" world tour, according to ARR, "began in Seoul in 2018 and has since been shown in Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, the United Kingdom, and even space." "Everywhere we've gone, the response has been incredibly good." According to ARR, Singapore is the tour's sixth stop.
Jean Dubreil