Released in 2020 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Companion, Companion 2020 stands as one of the most candid and introspective statements in KAWS’ practice. Rather than celebrating the longevity of his most iconic figure through elevation or monumentality, the artist presents it in a state of collapse—withdrawn, inert, and strikingly vulnerable.
The work operates simultaneously as a commemorative gesture and a quiet reflection on a year that profoundly altered the rhythm of daily life.
Introduction
Each figure is presented in a prone position, lying face down with the body fully extended and the back exposed to the viewer. The familiar elements of the Companion—rounded ears, gloved hands marked with “X,” simplified anatomy—remain intact, yet their meaning is fundamentally altered by this shift in orientation. The figure no longer stands, sits, or engages. It has withdrawn entirely. The posture is unambiguous: arms resting loosely along the sides, legs extended, no resistance in the body. The gesture suggests not rest, but surrender—an absence of energy rather than a moment of pause.
Across the three colorways—black, brown, and grey—the emotional tone subtly shifts. The black version reads as the most absolute, almost void-like; the brown retains a faint echo of the character’s cartoon origins; the grey distills the form into a neutral, nearly sculptural presence.
Executed in painted cast vinyl and produced by AllRightsReserved, the work maintains the clean, controlled finish characteristic of KAWS’ editions. The surface remains smooth and uniform, allowing the posture and orientation to carry the conceptual weight.
The horizontal format introduces a critical shift: the Companion no longer occupies space as a figure—it yields to it. Gravity becomes the dominant force.
Released as a complete set of three, with an undisclosed edition size, the work balances accessibility with its role as a commemorative object.
Companion 2020 was conceived during a moment of global disruption, and its reading is inseparable from that context. What might have been a celebratory anniversary release instead becomes something more restrained, even somber. KAWS’ own statement—“2020, what a year…”—captures this tone precisely. There is acknowledgment, but no embellishment. The work thus functions as both a milestone and a response: twenty years of the Companion condensed into a single image that reflects a collective state of exhaustion and uncertainty.
The most striking aspect of Companion 2020 is its finality. By placing the figure face down, KAWS removes any possibility of engagement. The face—typically the site of projection and identification—is hidden. The viewer is left with the back, the most impersonal surface of the body. This absence of expression is crucial. It denies narrative, yet invites projection. The figure could be resting, defeated, overwhelmed—or simply disengaged. The ambiguity remains, but the tone is unmistakably heavier than in earlier works. In this sense, the piece becomes less about the Companion as a character, and more about the condition it embodies. It is not performing emotion—it is absorbed by it.
As a 20th-anniversary release tied to a historically charged moment, Companion 2020 holds a distinct place within KAWS’ body of work. Its departure from the traditional upright format, combined with its conceptual clarity, has made it one of the most memorable editions of the period. More broadly, the work functions as a pause within the Companion’s trajectory—a moment where the figure, after two decades of evolution, is allowed to stop. Not to disappear—but to withdraw, if only temporarily, from the space it once occupied so effortlessly.
COMPANIONS 2020
COMPANION 2020 (Black/Brown/Grey)
The complete set of three works
Medium: Painted cast vinyl
Year: 2020
Dimensions: 9x43x23 cm (3-1/2 x 17 x 9 inches)
Edition: Open edition, unnumbered
Manufactured by AllRightsReserved Limited
Stamped signature and date to underside
‘KAWS 20 2020 Made in China’
KAWS COMPANION 2020 was created by KAWS to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his signature figure, Companion — and as cultural commentary on a year we will all never forget. KAWS’ COMPANION 2020 was rendered laying down, appearing exhausted and defeated. This historical KAWS set is rich with deep personal meaning to the artist, and is also very well-sized in comparison to his other figures at 17″ long (each individual).
Of the release, KAWS stated: “2020, what a year… On the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of COMPANION, I am happy to release COMPANION 2020… Thank you for all your support over the past 20 years…”
COMPANION 2020 (Black), 2020
COMPANION 2020 (Black)
Medium: Painted cast vinyl
Year: 2020
Dimensions: 9x43x23 cm (3-1/2 x 17 x 9 inches)
Edition: Open edition, unnumbered
Manufactured by AllRightsReserved Limited
Stamped signature and date to underside
‘KAWS 20 2020 Made in China’
COMPANION 2020 (Grey), 2020
COMPANION 2020 (Grey)
Medium: Painted cast vinyl
Year: 2020
Dimensions: 9x43x23 cm (3-1/2 x 17 x 9 inches)
Edition: Open edition, unnumbered
Manufactured by AllRightsReserved Limited
Stamped signature and date to underside
‘KAWS 20 2020 Made in China’
COMPANION 2020 (Brown), 2020
COMPANION 2020 (Brown)
Medium: Painted cast vinyl
Year: 2020
Dimensions: 9x43x23 cm (3-1/2 x 17 x 9 inches)
Edition: Open edition, unnumbered
Manufactured by AllRightsReserved Limited
Stamped signature and date to underside
‘KAWS 20 2020 Made in China’
