With Along The Way, KAWS refines one of the most compelling dynamics within the Companion universe: the relationship between two figures, articulated here through a gesture of quiet, almost understated support. Released in 2019 in the now-classic triad of brown, grey, and black, the work exists both as a monumental sculpture and as an editioned object, with the latter maintaining an intentionally opaque production scale—reinforcing the controlled ambiguity that often surrounds KAWS’ releases.

Introduction

The composition is deceptively simple: two Companion figures stand side by side, one gently leaning its head onto the shoulder of the other. An arm is placed across the back, not in a tight embrace, but in a loose, stabilizing gesture. The bodies remain upright, yet the slight tilt introduces a subtle imbalance—one figure carries, the other yields.

Unlike Together, where the embrace creates a compact, unified volume, Along The Way preserves separation. The figures remain distinct, their individuality intact. The contact is partial, almost tentative, which gives the work its particular tension. It is not about fusion, but about coexistence.

The brown version anchors the work in KAWS’ original cartoon-derived palette, lending it a familiar warmth that softens the interaction. The grey version abstracts the scene, reducing emotional cues and emphasizing the structural clarity of the gesture. The black version, by contrast, heightens the emotional density: stripped of all chromatic distraction, the relationship becomes more introspective, almost solemn. Across all three, color does not alter the composition—it modulates its reading. The gesture remains constant; its emotional temperature shifts.

The 2019 Along The Way editions find their origin in a major sculptural work first realized in 2013, when KAWS presented an 18-foot wooden version at Mary Boone Gallery in New York. This initial large-scale sculpture established the composition’s physical and conceptual weight, emphasizing materiality and presence through carved wood—an unusual medium within KAWS’ practice. The later edition translates this monumental work into a more accessible format, yet preserves its essential gesture and emotional structure, demonstrating the artist’s ability to move fluidly between unique sculptural forms and editioned objects without diminishing their conceptual integrity.

Along The Way belongs to a broader body of works in which KAWS introduces relational dynamics—Clean Slate, Share, Together—yet it occupies a distinct position among them. It is perhaps the least demonstrative. There is no overt embrace, no exchange of objects, no narrative device. Only proximity and support.

The title is key. “Along the way” suggests process rather than destination. This is not a moment of resolution, but of continuation. The figures are not arriving or departing—they are simply moving forward, together, in a state of quiet interdependence.

Meaning and Interpretation

What gives Along The Way its strength is restraint. The gesture is minimal, yet universally legible. It can be read as friendship, care, fatigue, or mutual reliance—KAWS deliberately avoids specificity.

There is also an asymmetry worth noting. One figure leans; the other absorbs. But the roles are not fixed—they could reverse at any moment. This fluidity introduces a subtle complexity: the work is not about dependence, but about the possibility of it.

Within the Companion editions, Along The Way has established itself as one of the most emotionally resonant compositions. Its clarity, combined with its sculptural balance, has made it particularly appealing to collectors. At the same time, its existence as a monumental installation reinforces its importance within KAWS’ broader practice. Like many of his strongest works, it operates seamlessly across scales—retaining its meaning whether encountered in a public landscape or on a collector’s shelf. In essence, Along The Way does not attempt to redefine the Companion. It refines it. It demonstrates that, within a fixed visual language, the smallest shift in gesture can open an entirely new emotional field.

 

 

 

ALONG THE WAY (Brown/Grey/Black)

ALONG THE WAY (Black, Grey, Brown)

Medium: Painted cast vinyl
Year: 2019
Dimensions: 28x22x15 (11 x 8-1/2 x 6 inches)
Edition: Unknown size
Produced by Medicom Toy, Tokyo

Molded manufacturer’s mark to underside of each element
‘Along the Way Kaws 19’ and ‘Medicom Toy China Kaws 19’

 

 

Auction Results

Heritage Auctions: 1 March 2023
USD 2,750

KAWS (b. 1974)
Along the Way (set of 3), 2019
Painted cast vinyl
Open Edition
Each stamped to the underside of the feet
Produced by Medicom Toy, Tokyo

 

 

ALONG THE WAY (Brown), 2019

ALONG THE WAY (Brown)

Medium: Painted cast vinyl
Year: 2019
Dimensions: 28x22x15 (11 x 8-1/2 x 6 inches)
Edition: Unknown size
Produced by Medicom Toy, Tokyo

Molded manufacturer’s mark to underside of each element
‘Along the Way Kaws 19’ and ‘Medicom Toy China Kaws 19’

 

Auction Results

LA Modern: 3 December 2024
Estimated: USD 600 – 800
USD 567

KAWS (Brian Donnelly, b.1974)
Along the Way (Brown), 2019
Painted cast vinyl
Molded manufacturer’s mark to underside of each element
‘Along the Way Kaws 19’ and ‘Medicom Toy China Kaws 19’
This work is from the edition of unknown size
Produced by Medicom Toy, Tokyo
Sold with original packaging

 

 

ALONG THE WAY (Black)

ALONG THE WAY (Black)

Medium: Painted cast vinyl
Year: 2019
Dimensions: 28x22x15 (11 x 8-1/2 x 6 inches)
Edition: Unknown size
Produced by Medicom Toy, Tokyo

Molded manufacturer’s mark to underside of each element
‘Along the Way Kaws 19’ and ‘Medicom Toy China Kaws 19’

 

 

 

 

 

ALONG THE WAY (MONUMENTAL)

KAWS (B. 1974)
ALONG THE WAY, 2013
Afromosia wood
550 (H) x 448 x 306 cm (216 1/2 x 176 3/8 x 120 1/2 inches)
From a series of three unique works, dark colorway

The monumental Along The Way (2013) stands as the conceptual and material origin of one of KAWS’ most quietly powerful compositions. Executed in afrormosia wood and produced as part of a series of three unique works, this large-scale sculpture—exceeding five meters in height—translates the artist’s graphic language into a fully sculptural, almost architectural presence.

Material and Presence

The choice of afrormosia wood is essential. Unlike the industrial smoothness of later vinyl editions, the wood introduces density, warmth, and a sense of permanence. Its deep, dark tonality enhances the introspective nature of the work, while the polished surface retains a subtle organic vibration—light moves across it differently, revealing volume rather than simply coating it.

At this scale, the Companion is no longer a figure—it becomes a structure. The familiar rounded forms, simplified limbs, and iconic crossed-out eyes are preserved, yet their impact is amplified. The weight of the material anchors the work physically and conceptually, giving gravity to what is otherwise a minimal gesture.

Composition and Gesture

The composition is identical in essence to the later editions: two Companion figures standing side by side, one leaning gently into the other, an arm placed across the back in quiet support. But at this scale, the gesture transforms.

What appears subtle in smaller formats becomes monumental here. The slight tilt of the head, the asymmetry of the bodies, the contact point between the figures—these elements take on architectural significance. The space between the figures matters as much as their contact. The work is no longer about depiction; it is about presence.

Context and Exhibition

First presented in 2013 at Mary Boone Gallery, the sculpture marked a key moment in KAWS’ transition into large-scale, materially ambitious works. While his practice had long engaged with repetition and editioning, this piece asserts the importance of the unique object—crafted, singular, and physically commanding.

It also precedes the broader public expansion of the Along The Way motif, which would later appear in outdoor installations and editioned forms. In this sense, the 2013 sculpture functions as both origin and anchor.

Meaning and Interpretation

At monumental scale, the meaning of Along The Way shifts. What reads as gentle support in smaller editions becomes something more profound—almost existential. The figures do not simply accompany one another; they hold each other upright.

There is no narrative, no explicit emotion—only a condition. The work speaks to endurance, to quiet reliance, to the idea that movement forward is rarely solitary. The absence of facial expression, replaced by the crossed-out eyes, removes any theatricality. What remains is structure, balance, and presence.

Position Within KAWS’ Oeuvre

This afrormosia wood version stands among the most important realizations of the Companion in sculptural form. It demonstrates KAWS’ ability to translate a language rooted in drawing and mass culture into a material and spatial experience of considerable sophistication.

If the editions disseminate the image, this work establishes its weight.

It is not simply a larger Companion. It is the moment the Companion becomes sculpture.