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US artist Kaws’ Companion on display on a floating platform in Singapore. With an injunction against its exhibition lifted, art lovers are free to view the 42-metre inflatable sculpture again. Photo: courtesy of Facebook/AllRightsReserved Limited
LifestyleArts & Culture

Singapore court lifts injunction blocking Kaws Companion exhibition, allowing art lovers to see the giant inflatable artwork at Float at Marina again

  • A temporary injunction granted to a Singapore non-profit that blocked the display of US artist Kaws’ giant inflatable artwork at Float at Marina has been lifted
  • ‘We are happy that the public gets to enjoy the artwork,’ a director of the non-profit said. ARR, defendant in the contract dispute, also welcomed the ruling
Singapore
SCMP Reporter
SCMP Reporter
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Singapore’s art lovers can heave a sigh of relief – they’ve been allowed to see a massive inflatable clownish artwork by the US artist Kaws.

An injunction against the exhibition of the 42-metre long inflatable, Companion, was lifted in the island nation on Monday, allowing the exhibition to reopen. Yet the legal battle over the artwork created by the artist – whose real name is Brian Donnelly – looks set to continue.

The inflatable artwork, on display at Singapore’s Float at Marina floating platform, has achieved pop culture status around the world.

A Singapore non-profit organisation, The Ryan Foundation, has accused AllRightsReserved Limited (ARR), a creative agency founded by Hongkonger Lam Shu-kam – or SK Lam as he is often known – of a breach of confidence and intellectual property rights.

We thank everyone for their love and support, as this is what … Brian Donnelly (Kaws) hopes for: to give more people access to art
AllRightsReserved Limited

According to a statement from ARR, the Singaporean court lifted the injunction and ordered The Ryan Foundation to pay legal costs, and potentially compensation for financial damages caused by the injunction.

Despite the legal setback, the foundation says it will fight on in court. “The interim injunction is a temporary one and we are happy that the public gets to enjoy the artwork,” The Ryan Foundation’s director, Adrian Chan said in a statement.

Lam Shu-kam (SK Lam), founder of AllRightsReserved, a party to the legal dispute over the Kaws: Holiday exhibition in Singapore. Photo: SCMP/Tory Ho

“The circumstances are now that the public is aware that the exhibition had been built on confidential information as we proceed to full trial. This is a long case that will be fought for all the freelancers and creatives whose ideas, pitches and work has been stolen or used without authorisation.”

Owned by well-known Singapore collectors Ryan Su and Adrian Chan, The Ryan Foundation has claimed that it began discussions in 2019 about bringing Kaws’ inflatable figures to Singapore. It claims to have introduced ARR to government contacts in Singapore, and says it came up with design ideas for merchandising before the project was aborted because a partnership agreement could not be agreed upon.

ARR welcomed the judgment, saying in a statement that justice had prevailed.

“The ‘Kaws: Holiday’ world tour started in Seoul in 2018 and has since been exhibited at Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, the United Kingdom and even outer space,” the organisation said. “The response at every stop has been overwhelmingly positive.

“We thank everyone for their love and support, as this is what the creator of ‘Kaws: Holiday’, internationally renowned artist Brian Donnelly (Kaws) hopes for: to give more people access to art.”

Neither Donnelly nor the Singapore Tourism Board, which backs the outdoor exhibition, were parties to the lawsuit.

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