Kaws and Shreeji News have announced the artist’s takeover of the multi-purpose space, on London’s Chiltern Street, for the venue’s latest annual residency, coinciding with Frieze London 2023.
Gabriel Chipperfield, who transformed the newsagent’s in 2020, creating a salon and reading room and space for events and exhibitions, as well as a wide selection of magazines, let Kaws lead the way when it came to his residency. ‘He's been very specific about what he wants to do, and what he doesn't want to do,’ says Chipperfield. ‘The studio has been on every element. It’s always a bit of an experiment, but it is a case of having a good time as well. We'll have artworks on display and ultimately for sale, but then we are a newsagent. So the idea is that we are also going to have Kaws coffee, and T-shirts and tote bags and posters.’
Kaws at Shreeji News
Shreeji News
This playful spirit runs throughout the pop-up. Alongside a series of limited-edition works by Kaws in bronze, wood and on paper, there is the Shreeji/Kaws merchandise Chipperfield promised, as well as the first showing of Kaws’ work, Better Knowing. The artist will also be present, signing copies of his book, Kaws: New Fiction, on Thursday 12 October.
‘We gave [Kaws] some ideas, saying that last year we did this, or this is what we normally do, but the overarching rule is that this is your shop this week,’ says Chipperfield. ‘We thought they were being too conservative, just out of respect and cost consciousness, and we told them, please, pretend [no limitations] exist, just tell us what you would do. Then we can see what's feasible or not. But it's this idea of concept – let reality come second.’
To coincide with Frieze art fair, Kaws will be hosting an in-store activation during the week of 9 – 15 October, 10am – 5pm daily. The show will be centred around the launch of the artist’s latest book, Kaws: New Fiction, available to purchase for the first time. The artist will be signing copies of his books in-store on Thursday 12 October from 5-7pm. The signing will be limited to two hours and books will be signed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Book must be purchased at the event, limited to one per customer. The artist will not be signing any other books or objects.
Kaws: New Fiction, based on the artist's 2022 solo show, is also available from Amazon
Kaws x Shreeji News t-shirt
-
This nostalgic exhibition dives into a century of British surfingCornwall's National Maritime Museum charts the history of waveriding on England's south coast
-
Waiheke Island is a must-visit for oenophiles and aesthetes alikeDiscover what to do during this New Zealand destination's annual Walking Festival and beyond
-
Bold colours and tactile textures: inside Bottega Veneta's second fine jewellery dropThe collection is composed of two parts: Enlaced and Alchemy
-
Celia Paul's colony of ghostly apparitions haunts Victoria MiroEerie and elegiac new London exhibition ‘Celia Paul: Colony of Ghosts’ is on show at Victoria Miro until 17 April
-
Teresa Pągowska's dreamy interpretations of the female form are in London for the first time‘Shadow Self’ in Thaddaeus Ropac’s 18th-century townhouse gallery in London, presents the first UK solo exhibition of Pągowska’s work
-
Sylvie Fleury's work in dialogue with Matisse makes for a provocative exploration of the female form'Drawing on Matisse, An Exhibition by Sylvie Fleury’ is on show until 2 May at Luxembourg + Co
-
What to see at BFI Flare film festival, 'a rich tapestry of queer experience'As one of the only film festivals to explicitly profile LGBTQI+ cinema, BFI Flare Film Festival remains a unique and beloved event. Here's what to see as it makes its return to London from 19 - 30 March
-
The enduring appeal of Transport for London’s seat designsFrom artist Rita Keegan’s new collage to fashion designer Adam Jones’ Overground suit, TfL moquettes continue to enjoy a cult status
-
‘There's a lot to fear and a lot to love in this world’: Penny Goring unveils new work in LondonA new collection of large-scale collages takes centre stage at 'Penny Goring: Cold Hunt Corsage' at Arcadia Missa, London
-
‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern: 1980s alt-glamour, club culture and rebellionThe new Leigh Bowery exhibition in London is a dazzling, sequin-drenched look back at the 1980s, through the life of one of its brightest stars
-
‘Yay, To Have a Mouth!’: a London show explores our oral fixation, from Freud to fairytalesThis group show at Rose Easton gallery in east London, created in collaboration with Ginny on Frederick, uncovers our fascination with the mouth
