Court orders KAWS:HOLIDAY exhibition at Marina Bay to stop
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SINGAPORE: A court has ordered organisers of the KAWS:HOLIDAY artwork at The Float @ Marina Bay to stop the exhibition of a 42m-long inflatable and sales of related merchandise.
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KAWS signature character COMPANION, created by international artist Brian Donnelly, was on display from Saturday (Nov 13) at The Float.
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The free exhibition was set to run until Nov 21, and was organised by AllRightsReserved â a Hong Kong based studio â and supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
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But an interim injunction, applied for by non-profit organisation The Ryan Foundation, has been granted. It orders that the exhibition stop taking place, as it is in breach of the foundationâs intellectual property rights and confidentiality.
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Sales and distribution of merchandise related to the exhibition have also been ordered to stop. Merchandise includes vinyl figures, tank tops and camping sets.
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The court order is between The Ryan Foundation and AllRightsReserved, and neither STB nor KAWS is party to the order.
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Ryan Su, the founder of the foundation, told CNA that the injunction was served to AllRightsReserved at 4.20pm on Saturday.
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He added that the foundation had been in talks with AllRightsReserved to bring a KAWS exhibition to Singapore back in 2019, but it did not materialise.
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They applied for the court order after they found out that an exhibition would be coming to Singapore.
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The Ryan Foundationâs director Adrian Chan said in a separate statement: âThe injunction could have been averted if questions were raised and stakeholders consulted.â
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Responding to CNA's queries, AllRightsReserved said: "In relation to the recent groundless allegations made by a third party who attempted to cause interruption to the KAWS:HOLIDAY SINGAPORE exhibition, our company is in the process of seeking urgent legal advice and will apply to court to challenge the prohibitory injunction order."Â
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The company added that it takes this incident very seriously and "will take all possible steps to ensure that this exhibition can progress in accordance with the laws of Singapore".Â
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"We apologise for any inconvenience caused," it said.
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The organisers added that the artwork venue, The Float @ Marina Bay, is temporarily closed.Â
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In a statement to CNA, Donnelly said that he is "honoured" to exhibit KAWS:HOLIDAY in Singapore.
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He added that the reception from the people here has been "overwhelmingly positive" and that he is "grateful" to have this opportunity.
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"I have no contractual agreement with The Ryan Foundation. Their accusation is baseless," Donnelly said.Â
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STB said it is aware of the court injunction against AllRightsReserved.
âWe understand the organisers are exploring all options,â STB added.
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The KAWS:HOLIDAY exhibition has travelled to several sites around the world, including Seoul, Taipei, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
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Yong, M. (2021, November 14). Court orders KAWS:HOLIDAY exhibition at Marina Bay to stop. CNA. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/kaws-holiday-float-marina-bay-exhibition-stop-court-order-injunction-2311901