KAWS HOLIDAY #2
Released in 2019 as part of the KAWS: Holiday project in Taipei, Holiday Taipei Companion translates one of the artist’s most ambitious public sculptures into an intimate, collectible format. Conceived to accompany the unveiling of a monumental 36-metre-long Companion installed at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the edition functions as both a souvenir and a conceptual extension of the large-scale work.
Rather than simply reproducing the sculpture, KAWS condenses its emotional and spatial impact into a human-scale object, maintaining the contemplative tone while shifting the experience from public spectacle to private encounter.
Introduction
The figure is presented seated on the ground, legs extended forward, arms positioned behind the body for support. This posture introduces a moment of pause: neither fully at rest nor actively engaged. The head tilts slightly upward, with the signature X-shaped eyes facing outward, preserving a minimal yet perceptible connection with the viewer. The gesture is ambiguous. It suggests contemplation, fatigue, or quiet observation: an in-between state that resists clear narrative resolution. Across the three colorways, subtle tonal shifts emerge. The black version appears more graphic and assertive, with the yellow X-eyes introducing a sharp visual contrast. The brown softens the figure, reinforcing its cartoon lineage. The grey reduces the form to a more neutral, almost sculptural abstraction.
Executed in painted cast vinyl and produced by AllRightsReserved, the work retains the precise finish and controlled surface quality characteristic of KAWS’ editions. The material allows for sharp contours and uniform coloration, reinforcing the clarity of the form. Produced in an edition of 500 per colorway (most sources allude to a limited edition of unknown size, unnumbered), the work balances relative accessibility with controlled scarcity. As with many releases tied to the Holiday series, the edition sold out immediately upon release.
Holiday Taipei Companion was released in conjunction with the KAWS: Holiday installation in Taipei, presented from January 19 to 27, 2019. The project marked one of the most significant public interventions in KAWS’ career, bringing his work into direct dialogue with a major historical and cultural landmark.
The monumental Companion, stretched across the landscape in a reclining position, introduced a new scale of engagement: transforming the character into a temporary architectural presence. The edition serves as a portable counterpart to this installation. It captures not the scale, but the atmosphere of the project: its sense of stillness, reflection, and public accessibility.
At the core of Holiday Taipei Companion lies a shift in tempo. The seated posture suggests suspension rather than action. The figure is neither advancing nor retreating: it is simply present. This quietude contrasts with the spectacle of the monumental installation, offering a more introspective reading of the Companion. The work also reinforces KAWS’ ongoing negotiation between intimacy and monumentality. The same character exists simultaneously as a massive public sculpture and as a handheld object, collapsing distinctions between collective and personal experience. In this sense, the piece does not depict rest: it embodies it.
As part of the widely recognized KAWS: Holiday series, the Taipei edition holds a significant position within the artist’s market. Its direct connection to one of the most iconic large-scale installations enhances both its historical and collectible value. More broadly, the work exemplifies KAWS’ ability to extend a single visual language across formats, scales, and audiences. The Companion remains consistent, yet its meaning evolves depending on context. Here, it is no longer a figure in motion or in collapse: but one that has paused, briefly, within the flow of its own trajectory.
HOLIDAY TAIPEI, 2019
HOLIDAY TAIPEI (Grey/Black/Brown)
The complete set of three works
Medium: Painted cast vinyl
Year: 2019
Dimensions: 14x18x13 cm (5-1/2 x 7 x 5-1/4 inches)
Edition: Limited run of unknown size, unnumbered
Release Price: USD 200
Produced by AllRightsReserved Ltd., Hong Kong
Stamped signature, title and manufacturer’s mark to underside
‘Kaws: Holiday Made in China’
Auction Results
LA Modern: 3 December 2024
Estimated: USD 1,000 – 1,500
USD 819
KAWS (Brian Donnelly, b.1974)
Holiday Taipei (three works), 2019
Painted cast vinyl
Stamped signature, title and manufacturer’s mark to underside of each work
‘Kaws: Holiday Made in China’
This complete set of three works is from an edition of unknown size
Produced by AllRightsReserved Ltd., Hong Kong
Sold with original packaging
Heritage Auctions: 13 November 2024
USD 687.50
KAWS (b. 1974)
Holiday: Taipei (set of 3), 2019
Painted cast vinyl
Each stamped to the underside
Published by AllRightsReserved, Hong Kong
LA Modern: 28 August 2024
Estimated: USD 1,000 – 1,500
USD 710
KAWS (Brian Donnelly, b.1974)
Holiday Taipei (three works), 2019
Painted cast vinyl
Stamped signature, title and manufacturer’s mark to underside of each work
‘Kaws: Holiday Made in China’
This complete set of three works is from an edition of unknown size
Produced by AllRightsReserved Ltd., Hong Kong
Sold with original packaging
Tate Ward Auctions: 19 June 2024
Estimated: GBP 500 – 800
GBP 1,000 / USD 1,270
KAWS (American 1974-)
‘Holiday Taipei (Brown, Black & Grey)’, 2019
A complete set of three painted cast vinyl figures
Published by Juice Store
Artcurial Paris: 18 April 2024
Estimated: EUR 600 – 800
EUR 907 / USD 965
KAWS
Holiday Taipei (grey, black and brown), 2019
Painted cast vinyl
Very good overall condition
In their original packaging
LA Modern: 28 September 2023
Estimated: USD 1,000 – 1,500
USD 1,071
KAWS (Brian Donnelly, b.1974)
Holiday Taipei (three works), 2019
Painted cast vinyl
Stamped signature, title and manufacturer’s mark to underside of each work
‘Kaws: Holiday Made in China’
This complete set of three works is from an edition of unknown size
Produced by AllRightsReserved Ltd., Hong Kong
Sold with original packaging
Bonhams Hong-Kong: 8 August 2023
Estimated: HKD 3,000 – 5,000
HKD 6,080 / USD 780
KAWS (B. 1974)
Holiday: Taipei (Set of Three), 2019
Painted cast vinyl
Each printed “KAWS: HOLIDAY” on the underside
This set of work is from an unnumbered edition
Accompanied by the original boxes
Tate Ward Auctions: 17 November 2022
Estimated: GBP 600 – 800
GBP 1,250 / USD 1,400
KAWS (American 1974-)
‘Holiday Taipei (Brown, Black & Grey)’, 2019
A complete set of three painted cast vinyl figures
Published by Juice Store
Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 15 September 2020
Estimated: HKD 7,000 – 9,000
HKD 11,340 / USD 1,465
AUCTION RECORD FOR A COMPLETE SET OF HOLIDAY TAIPEI
KAWS (b.1974)
HOLIDAY TAIPEI (BROWN/ BLACK/ GREY) (THREE WORKS), 2019
Painted cast vinyl, in original packaging
These works are released on the occasion of KAWS’s first outdoor project entitled KAWS: HOLIDAY in Taipei
HOLIDAY TAIPEI (Brown), 2019
HOLIDAY TAIPEI (Brown)
Medium: Painted cast vinyl
Year: 2019
Dimensions: 14x18x13 cm (5-1/2 x 7 x 5-1/4 inches)
Edition: Limited run of unknown size, unnumbered
Release Price: USD 200
Produced by AllRightsReserved Ltd., Hong Kong
Stamped signature, title and manufacturer’s mark to underside
‘Kaws: Holiday Made in China’
HOLIDAY TAIPEI (Black), 2019
HOLIDAY TAIPEI (Black)
Medium: Painted cast vinyl
Year: 2019
Dimensions: 14x18x13 cm (5-1/2 x 7 x 5-1/4 inches)
Edition: Limited run of unknown size, unnumbered
Release Price: USD 200
Produced by AllRightsReserved Ltd., Hong Kong
Stamped signature, title and manufacturer’s mark to underside
‘Kaws: Holiday Made in China’
Auction Results
LA Modern: 28 August 2024
Estimated: USD 600 – 800
USD 567
KAWS (Brian Donnelly, b.1974)
Holiday Taipei (Black), 2019
Painted cast vinyl
Stamped signature, title and manufacturer’s mark to underside
‘Kaws Holiday Made in China’
This work is from the edition of unknown size
Produced by AllRightsReserved Ltd., Hong Kong
Sold with original packaging
HOLIDAY TAIPEI (Grey), 2019
HOLIDAY TAIPEI (Grey)
Medium: Painted cast vinyl
Year: 2019
Dimensions: 14x18x13 cm (5-1/2 x 7 x 5-1/4 inches)
Edition: Limited run of unknown size, unnumbered
Release Price: USD 200
Produced by AllRightsReserved Ltd., Hong Kong
Stamped signature, title and manufacturer’s mark to underside
‘Kaws: Holiday Made in China’