Clean Slate

Inspired by the birth of his first daughter in 2014, KAWS invented a new pose for his signature Companion characters, Clean Slate. In Clean Slate, a parental Companion strides forward while carrying two smaller figures in its arms. “Even though I use a comic language, my figures are not always reflecting the idealistic cartoon view that I grew up on,” the artist explained. “Companion is more real in dealing with contemporary human circumstances. I think when I’m making work it also often mirrors what’s going on with me at that time.” KAWS debuted a 23-foot-tall version of Clean Slate in Hong Kong’s Harbour City in 2014, which was later exhibited in Shanghai’s Times Square in 2015 as well as the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in 2016–17. In 2018, the sculpture broke the artist’s auction record at the time, reaching nearly $2 million at Phillips. Later that year, the street artist transformed the monumental sculpture into 14-inch-tall collectible vinyl toys produced in an open edition and available in three distinct colorways—gray, black, and brown.