This has got to be a dream for any artist, to be asked to create a balloon for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.
The New York Times Article –
The question came out of the blue in an e-mail about two years ago, recalled the Brooklyn artist Brian Donnelly, who is better known by his alias, KAWS. Would he be interested in creating a balloon for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
“I grew up in Jersey City, watching the parade on TV,” Mr. Donnelly said. “It was more important than the holiday itself. To have my character in a lineup with Snoopy and Kermit is a real dream.”
Mr. Donnelly was explaining the genesis of the project on the telephone from Hong Kong, where “KAWS: The Nature of Need,” a show of some of his new paintings, opened on Tuesday at the Hong Kong branch of Galerie Perrotin.
An artist known for transforming figures from popular culture into cartoonlike characters — first in the form of toys, and then in paintings and sculptures — Mr. Donnelly was just the kind of artist Macy’s was seeking to create a balloon.
“His name kept floating to the top of the list,” said Amy Kule, executive producer of theparade, explaining that every year she and her team try to choose an artist who fits “the spirit of the event.” By that, she means “a balloon that will appeal to every generation, from 2-year-olds on up.”
KAWS had the perfect character: a giant figure called Companion, who sits with his gloved hands covering his face, as if he were ashamed or crying. The pose, the artist has said, recalls Rodin’s celebrated sculpture “The Thinker.”
Last summer Companion sat 16 feet high at the entrance to the Standard Hotel in the meatpacking district of Manhattan. Companion has also been on view in Hong Kong and Ridgefield, Conn.
“I kept imagining myself in front of that many people,” Mr. Donnelly said, when asked why Companion is hiding his eyes. “He’s shy, a bit out of place, not proudly posing like a Superman character.”
The lovable Companion will be transformed into a balloon 40 feet long, 34 feet wide and 30 feet tall in Macy’s New Jersey studio. After the parade the balloon, along with preparatory drawings and models, will join other artists’ balloons in the Macy’s archives.
The idea of asking artists to participate in the parade began in 2005, when the store created its Blue Sky Gallery series. Macy’s has invited artists including Tom Otterness, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Tim Burton to create what it calls “flying art.”
“Fifty million people will feast their eyes on him,” Ms. Kule said of Companion, explaining that the company’s creative team keeps a wish list of artists for future parades.
