KAWS HOLIDAY FLOATS ABOVE THAILAND
A colossal companion lands in the Land of Smiles. KAWS Holiday brings pop art, to Sanam Luang the Royal Cremation Ground.
KAWS Holiday touches down in Thailand with a sky-high spectacle. The 18-meter inflatable Companion now floats above Sanam Luang’s ancient soil. Rooted in the ancient Mandala belief system, the grounds represent the centre of the universe. A place where celestial forces and earthly realms converge.
KAWS Holiday Companion Takes the Clouds
A Float with Feelings
The KAWS Companion isn’t just big. It’s monumental. Cradling the Moon, COMPANION therefore becomes a reflection of the cosmic order. Reinforcing the interconnectedness of all things and the continuous flow of wisdom.
Located next to the Grand Palace, this setting bridges Thailand’s regal traditions with contemporary creativity. Within this storied landscape, KAWS HOLIDAY THAILAND offers more than an art installation. It is an invitation to slow down, become immersed in the surroundings, and experience a moment of reflection and togetherness. Arms hugging the moon, eyes closed, drifting somewhere between joy and sorrow.
Brian Donnelly, the artist behind KAWS, knows how to play with scale and softness. His work—once seen on subway ads and skate decks—now whispers across continents in helium and PVC. Thailand’s edition feels different. The land is serene. The Companion floats, but it doesn’t escape. Instead, it observes.
The Message in the Sky
There’s a subtle nod to protest in the stillness. Thailand, after all, carries its own social tensions. Art like this doesn’t shout—it floats. KAWS offers silence as commentary. “Public space isn’t neutral,” one Thai artist told us on site. “KAWS makes us look up. That changes everything.”
Culture Meets Commercial Cool
Art You Can Picnic With
KAWS Holiday isn’t locked in a gallery. It’s in the open air, surrounded by food stalls and barefoot children. Visitors camp, pose, and picnic under the shadow of pop surrealism. It’s kitsch meets capital-A Art. The kind Warhol would applaud. Fans show up in Uniqlo x KAWS tees, holding $200 plush toys, next to monks snapping iPhone photos.
Bangkok as Canvas
Hosting KAWS here sends a message. It’s about contrast. Local artisans see the irony. “We weave with tradition,” says a textile maker in nearby San Kamphaeng. “But KAWS? He weaves global culture.”
KAWS Holiday as Global Ritual
A Journey Across Continents
From Seoul to Singapore, Taipei to Tokyo, KAWS Holiday has become a kind of floating ritual. Each city adds its own energy. In Thailand, the Companion becomes meditative. It’s temple-quiet. It floats like a monk might walk—deliberate, aware, weightless.
The Power of Soft Protest
There’s no manifesto attached. No statement against politics or climate. But its very presence, oversized and impossible to ignore, makes its own demands. “Being still is its message,” said one local curator. “It resists the frenzy of now.”
KAWS Holiday in Thailand is more than a spectacle. It’s a soft rebellion in vinyl and air. A meditation on presence. A plush pause button. It drifts above Sanam Luang like a modern god, reminding us that silence can still stir the soul—and style can carry meaning, even at 42 meters long.
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Our editor at large Daniel Syrett, or SYRETT, which the artist is better known as, brings his extensive knowledge of the fashion and art industries to his role here at IRK Magazine. While SYRETT is recognized for his glossy Haute-Couture pieces, Daniel is also the founder and curator of Runway Gallery, the fashion-focused gallery that represents some familiar names from IRK, including our founders, French Cowboy. Daniel may be making his mark on the vibrant London art scene at present; however, his unique style is based on different influences from Daniel Syrett’s past.
After studying fashion at Jacob Kramer College of Art in his home city of Leeds, Daniel moved to Liverpool, where his style was influenced by the alternative creative’s of Merseyside. After successfully launching one of the most exclusive nightclubs in the country, Dan travelled to London to work as a freelance stylist, in a move which saw his career in fashion skyrocket. To date, Daniel Syrett has worked alongside some of the most prestigious names in the industry, including Elle, All Saints, EMI, the BBC, and London Fashion Week. Among his latest collaborations, SYRETT is most recognised for his partnership with True Brit Nail Varnish which is portrayed through his glossy art pieces. SYRETT uses the varnish as a medium to create highly polished, and highly fashionable works of art which expose the intertwining relationship between the fashion and art worlds. This connection is epitomised by his most recent collection in which SYRETT named each piece after some of the most iconic designers, including Alexander, Jean-Paul, Yves and Vivienne, with the latter designer being a frequent visitor to Daniel’s former boutique, Controversy.
As a result of working with these stylish clients, Daniel Syrett has solidified a global reputation as both a fashion stylist and an artist. His work has graced everywhere from New York and Florence, to the pastel-glazed buildings on Miami’s South Beach, where an exhibition of SYRETT’S work is also planned for the near future. It is, however, unsurprising that Daniel Syrett has reached such heights, after seeing his work published in over 200 National and International publications, alongside several other books, including the Booth-Clibborn Edition of the counter-culture book, High Flyers.
Alongside his role at IRK, Daniel continues to make his name in London and beyond, most specifically through Beautalism: the emerging art movement which is shaping the art scene across the capital. As the founder of the Beautalists, Daniel Syrett aims to bridge the gap between the public and the artist and make art accessible to all. This is all in a days work for Dan, who balances his Runway Gallery empire with his work as an artist. With other exciting partnerships launching with the W Hotel, Soho’s Century Club and ROOME, the future for the head of Beautalism looks beautiful indeed.
Biography by Megan Slack, Contributing Editor at Magazine by Runway Gallery.
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