The giant KAWS installation in Hong Kong will be removed early due to bad weather.
An inflatable KAWS sculpture in Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images.
The latest voyage of a large inflatable sculpture by U.S. artist KAWS has been cut short due to inclement weather. The floating installation of a 121-foot-long version of one of his distinctive “Companion” figures in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, timed to Hong Kong Arts Month and the Art Basel in Hong Kong fair, will be removed from the harbor two days ahead of schedule due to an ominous weather forecast. The work will be towed to safety on Friday.
In a Facebook post, the installation’s organizer, Lam Shu-kam of AllRightsReserved, cited unstable weather conditions and an abundance of caution for the safety of marine staff as precipitating the early end to the installation, according to the South China Morning Post. The weather forecast for Hong Kong shows scattered thunderstorms in the night from Friday to Saturday, and rainshowers all weekend.
This is not the first time one of Hong Kong’s floating artworks has had to quickly seek safe harbor. In 2013, Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s giant rubber duck famously—yet photogenically—deflated.
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