Artist KAWS Named 2023 Clio Visionary Award Recipient

The Clio Awards announced today that KAWS, an artist known for both large-scale sculptures and some measuring mere inches, will receive the 2023 Clio Visionary Award, presented by Verizon.

KAWS will accept the prize at the Clio Creative Summit on Oct. 16 at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn.

At the event, KAWS will participate in a 30-minute Q&A with Mike Wente, VP and head of creative marketing and brand design at Verizon. The artist will discuss his creative process, refined graphic language, collaborations with global brands and influence on today’s culture.

Additional sessions at the Summit include: “Creative Use of AI—The Path Forward,” “Building a Bridge to the Next Generation Through Mentorship and Community” and “Anatomy of Hype: How to Reach Fandoms and Leverage Streamers to Fuel Brand Engagement.”

“Our whole team is so excited to honor KAWS with our Clio Visionary Award this year,” says Nicole Purcell, CEO of The Clio Awards. “His work has influenced many of the artists and creative leaders in our community and it feels great to be presenting him with this award, in partnership with Verizon, at our Creative Summit where our audience will have the opportunity to hear first-hand how he brings his playful and larger-than-life ideas to fruition.”

KAWS lives and works in Brooklyn. His work has been exhibited in institutions such as the Art Gallery of Ontario; Serpentine Gallery; High Museum of Art; Mori Arts Center Gallery; The Brooklyn Museum; and The National Gallery of Victoria.

He recently unveiled the “KAWS: Holiday” exhibit at Indonesia’s Prambanan temple compound. On Sept. 7, he reunites with Uniqlo for a collection of t-shirts and sweatshirts, timed with the launch of a KAWS art book.

Click here to purchase tickets to the Creative Summit.