KAWS Companions Freeze For Pics During Stay At China’s Snowy Changbai Mountain

By Mikelle Leow, 06 Jan 2022

Image by AllRightsReserved, courtesy of KAWS and featured with permission

The iconic KAWS mascot, Companion, has been touring the world, passing through places like the UK, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, and even outer space. After taking in the city sights of sunny Singapore, it finds a change in scenery on the grounds of the icy Changbai Mountain in Tianchi, China.

Companion is sharing its journey with a mini-me, who first appeared at the last destination, in the artist’s eighth KAWS:HOLIDAY installment. It’s a good thing there’s someone to snuggle up to, because the snowstorms here can be quite ferocious.

Both seemingly covered in snow, the Companions disconnect into nature and admire their surroundings. They’ll be here until January 16, 2022.

A collaboration between KAWS and Hong Kong creative studio and longtime associate AllRightsReserved, with sponsorship by The North Face, the Changbai Mountain installment has been in the works for two years.

“With all of the challenges people are facing around the globe, I think it’s a very important time to have public art,” says the street artist, whose real name is Brian Donnelly, in an email. “I hope that people take some time to come together, break their usual routine of daily life, and have a meaningful experience with the sculpture and landscape.”

Memorializing this visit are exclusive COMPANION figures replicating the large-scale sculptures, along with a limited-edition snowglobe, reusable hand warmer, and zip-up jackets to keep up with the icy theme. These will be released on AllRightsReserved’s DDT Store on January 8 at 11am Hong Kong time (January 7, 7pm PT and 10pm ET).