KAWS
In Magok Seoul
“Friends and Neighbors”
First Solo Exhibition in Korea
This time, I heard that KAWS’s first institutional solo exhibition in Korea, titled Friends and Neighbors, was opening at Space K in Magok — so I went right away.
In my previous post, I introduced the artist KAWS himself. This time, I’ll walk you through the exhibition space at Space K, explain some of the major works on view, and share my honest thoughts after visiting.
If you’re planning to see the show, I highly recommend reading the previous post first. Having some background on KAWS and his work will make the experience much richer. Especially if you’re visiting Korea and thinking about going to the exhibition, I’d suggest checking that out beforehand.
Location, Parking & Exhibition Period
Opening Hours
Location
- 32, Magokjungang 8-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul Space K Seoul
How to get there
- About 5–7 minutes walk from Magok Station (Subway Line 5), Exit 3
Exhibition Period
- July 23, 2026 – December 27, 2026
Opening Hours
- Closed on Mondays
- Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00 – 18:00
Docent Tours
- Weekdays: 14:00 Weekends: 11:00 / 14:00 / 16:00
- (As far as I know, the -docent tours are only available in Korean.)
Parking
- Parking is available (limited spaces).
- Some sources mention 30 minutes free parking, with additional fees afterward.
- No reservation is required for general admission — you can just walk in.
- On weekends and public holidays, there may be a waiting line, so I recommend arriving with some extra time.
Exterior
If you walk along the exterior wall of the building, the path naturally leads you to the museum entrance.
Space K, which is hosting the KAWS exhibition this time, has an impressive building with a minimal yet curved architectural form.
It was designed by architect Minsuk Cho (Mass Studies) and officially opened in Magok in 2020 as a cultural and arts sharing space operated by the Kolon Group.
At the entrance, there was KAWS’s iconic resting COMPANION character along with a cute Rubber Duck installation.
Interior & Atmosphere
Once inside, there’s a booth where you can purchase tickets, as well as a few seats where you can sit and wait or take a short rest.
If you already purchased tickets through Naver, just show your online reservation confirmation at the information desk. They will give you your ticket along with a pamphlet.
For those who need parking registration, 30 minutes of free parking is available — just tell them your vehicle number.
Photography is allowed as long as you don’t use flash. Also, Gangseo-gu residents can receive a 20% discount, so make sure to mention it if you qualify.
There are lockers available for those carrying a lot of belongings, so feel free to use them.
Please refer to the times listed above for the docent program.
The audio guide features the voice of Korean actress Soo-jin Yoo (also well known as the wife of chef Baek Jong-won). By scanning the QR code, you can listen to explanations of the artworks featured in this KAWS exhibition.
Inside the Exhibition Space
Photography © ARTYSHINE SEOUL
The exhibition space featured around 20 works by KAWS, so it was smaller in scale than I expected. However, that also made the viewing experience very comfortable and uncrowded.
After finishing the first floor, if you go up to the second floor, you’ll find videos about KAWS’s artistic world and creative process. The path isn’t very clearly marked, though, so I noticed quite a few visitors hesitating about whether to go upstairs or not. I think it would have been better if the signage had been a bit clearer.
The Theme of the Exhibition
According to Space K
KAWS FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
Space K Seoul is pleased to present FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, the first institutional solo exhibition in Korea by Brooklyn-based artist KAWS (Brian Donnelly, b. 1974).
KAWS began his career in the early 1990s with graffiti and advertising interventions. Since then, he has developed a distinctive visual language that moves fluidly between fine art and popular culture, street art and the museum, image and commodity.
This exhibition features around 20 works, including large-scale paintings and sculptures of the artist’s iconic characters, as well as new pieces.
The exhibition title Friends and Neighbors reflects on the relationships that sit closest to our lives. “Friends” refers to the intimacy we actively choose, while “neighbors” describes those who are brought close to us by chance.
Both can offer comfort and support, yet they can also create discomfort and tension precisely because of their proximity.
By borrowing the names of these familiar relationships, KAWS reveals both the tenderness and the challenges of living alongside others.
(Source: Space K)
KAWS Exhibition Works — Photos & Descriptions
The descriptions may include some of my own impressions.
These three works are new pieces by KAWS from 2026, a series that presents close-up views of the COMPANION character.
WATCHING RIVALS, 2026
A scene where a pink COMPANION looks up at a brown hand, conveying a sense of tension as they watch each other.
CONSTANT PRESSURE, 2026
A purple hand firmly presses down on an orange COMPANION, seemingly expressing the constant pressure and discomfort that can exist within close relationships.
THIN ICE, 2026
A blue COMPANION sits quietly with its head slightly lowered, capturing a sense of precarious and cautious emotion.
All three works left a strong impression with their bold primary colors and glittering particle texture. This series delicately expresses the subtle feelings of tension, pressure, and boundaries that arise within the closest relationships — “friends” and “neighbors” — through the gestures and body language of the COMPANION characters.
It seemed to reveal the more complicated side of friendships that grows more complex the closer people become, and I found myself looking at them for a long time.
LOST IN QUIET, 2026
This is a large-scale painting of a blue COMPANION slightly lowering its head while wrapping itself with a brown hand.
Placed against a strong red background, the quiet way the blue character holds itself calmly yet heavily conveys feelings of loneliness and isolation.
I felt that the title Lost in Quiet matched the atmosphere of the work perfectly.
THE RED BALL, 2026
This work depicts two CHUM characters grabbing and pushing each other against the background of a playground.
Set between bright green grass and colorful play equipment, the characters’ movements are surprisingly intense — it can look playful at first, yet at the same time carries a subtle sense of tension.
The red ball mentioned in the title is not very easy to spot, but even that small detail feels intentional. Overall, the piece seems to capture the friction and emotions that arise in close relationships within an everyday setting.
THE WHITE FENCE
A scene where red and blue characters grab and push each other in front of a white fence. The white fence symbolizes both peaceful everyday life and a boundary. This work is said to suggest the tension and conflict that lie hidden beneath the surface of a seemingly calm community.
NECK AND NECK
This is a sculpture of two CHUM figures grabbing and pushing each other. From the front, they appear to be in strong confrontation, but when viewed from the side, their gestures become ambiguous — it’s hard to tell whether they are holding on or pushing away. That ambiguity left a strong impression.
CHUM, whose name carries the meaning of a “close friend,” reveals the complex emotions that arise in intimate relationships — leaning on each other, getting hurt, and clashing.
It was the first work that caught my eye the moment I entered the exhibition space. The glossy surface and delicate details were especially striking.
THERAPY
This work features eleven CHUM figures, each holding a small canvas with a painting of the sea. When viewed individually, they appear as separate pictures, but when connected, they form one large sea.
The piece suggests that healing is not about fully revealing everything, but rather a process of gradually showing and hiding while adjusting the distance with others.
Although it’s difficult to capture in photos, the large scale of the work felt quite overwhelming in person.
LOOKING INTO THE DISTANCE
This work features KAWS’s most iconic character, COMPANION, sitting alone, conveying feelings of solitude and contemplation.
I was struck by how it sat somewhat isolated from the other works in the exhibition space, creating a lonely presence.
As the title suggests, it also made me think about the things that only become visible when we take a step back and look from a distance — and about the important aspects of relationships that emerge only then.
MEASURING SHADOWS, 2026
This is a large-scale sculpture of a black character with striking long ears, quietly sitting on a white pedestal.
With both hands neatly placed on its knees and its head slightly lowered, the pose creates a calm yet contemplative atmosphere.
The title Measuring Shadows gives the impression of quietly assessing the invisible shadows of emotions or relationships.
The sense of distance from the solitary COMPANION sitting across from it also made me reflect further on relationships, and I felt the artist’s intention coming through.
SURVIVAL MACHINES, 2015
This is a series of five large-scale paintings hanging side by side on the wall. Unlike the new works from 2026, these were created in 2015.
KAWS characters rendered in white silhouettes are abstractly arranged, appearing to float over intense and complex color fields. They felt like beings moving in order to survive within a complicated world.
As the title Survival Machines suggests, the atmosphere is both vibrant and somehow tense. Although these works are from a different period, they still felt naturally connected to the exhibition’s theme of “relationships.”
KEEPING SCORE, 2026
This is a large-scale painting in which a vivid red hand gently covers the face of a purple COMPANION.
The moment where the hand and face meet against a blue background carried a sense of tension. As the title Keeping Score suggests, it felt like a work that delicately captures the subtle emotions of watching and scoring each other within a relationship.
FINAL WARNING, 2026
This is a large-scale painting of a purple COMPANION with yellow and orange hands holding each other.
The moment where the two hands meet against a blue background felt both like they were pushing away and somehow resolute at the same time. As the title Final Warning suggests, it seemed to quietly capture a moment in a relationship when things have reached their limit.
MUFFLE, 2026
This is a painting in which a vivid turquoise hand covers the mouth of a dark teal COMPANION.
As the title Muffle suggests, it conveyed a quiet yet tense atmosphere of holding something back or suppressing emotions.
Goods Types & Prices
Posters (Price without frame)
- Poster L (B2): 20,000 KRW
- Poster S (A3): 10,000 KRW
Postcards
- THE WHITE FENCE: 2,000 KRW
- THE RED BALL: 2,000 KRW
- WATCHING RIVALS: 2,000 KRW
Additionally, Kolon Sport will release a limited-edition capsule collection in October 2026 to commemorate this exhibition. If you add Kolon Sport as a KakaoTalk Plus Friend, you can receive the release news first.
To be honest, I had been looking forward to the exhibition merchandise, but there weren’t many items available.
Overall Visit & Exhibition Review
Space ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
The space was overall very comfortable, and it was nice that parking was available. However, it was a bit disappointing that free parking was limited to only 30 minutes.
Exhibition Review ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
Having known about KAWS’s large-scale exhibition previously held in Melbourne, Australia, my expectations were quite high for his first institutional solo show in Korea.
This exhibition presented only about 20 works under the theme of Friends and Neighbors, so it was a relatively small show. I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t see a wider range of KAWS’s other works.
Still, if you like KAWS’s work (especially his graffiti and art toys), I would recommend seeing it in person at least once. The scale and presence of the pieces feel clearly different from looking at them in photos.
Although there were some disappointing aspects, I was personally satisfied because I got to see the paintings of an artist I like in real life and listen to the explanations.
Willingness to Revisit ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
Since I’m not a resident of Magok, I would probably return only if works by an artist I really like are on view — even if the exhibition is small in scale — especially if the merchandise is attractive enough that I’d want to buy something.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.
I’ll answer as best as I can!
I’ll be back with another review next time.
If you found this helpful
Thank you
Photography © ArtyShine. All rights reserved.
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