Artwork Description
What Party Figure- White Limited Edition Vinyl Art Toy Sculpture Collectible Artwork by Legendary Modern Artist Kaws.
2020 Out of Print COVID Open Edition Size 5.1x11.3x3.7 New In Box Printed Foot. White Chum is wondering what happened to the parties in 2020?
What Party White Vinyl Figure by KAWS: Isolation, Identity, and Sculpture in Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork
What Party White is a 2020 vinyl art sculpture by KAWS, released as part of an open edition during a moment of global lockdown and cultural pause. Standing at 11.3 inches tall with dimensions of 5.1 by 3.7 inches in width and depth, the figure is cast in glossy white vinyl and features the bloated, segmented silhouette of the Chum character, a recurring figure in the KAWS visual lexicon. Distributed in a minimalist box featuring a sketched outline of the figure, this edition was released during the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly became a symbolic artifact of the time. The character’s slouched posture, closed eyes, and introspective body language are universally understood without the need for text. It is an object of reflection, executed in the language of Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork, where consumer product, fine art sculpture, and cultural commentary converge.
KAWS, Chum, and Character as Emotional Proxy
The Chum figure, first introduced in earlier KAWS works, is a reinterpretation of the Michelin Man—reimagined with the artist’s trademark X-ed out eyes and cartoon glove hands. In What Party, Chum takes on a more exaggerated, balloon-like form. The arms hang low, the shoulders collapse inward, and the figure’s presence feels heavy despite the glossy finish. This is a sculpture that speaks through silence. In the white edition, all detail is erased except for shadow and form. The lack of color transforms Chum into a ghostly version of itself, evoking questions around presence, identity, and stillness. In Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork, these character-driven figures often channel the collective mood, and here, Chum embodies a moment of global stillness where parties, social engagement, and public gathering disappeared.
Material Simplicity and Sculptural Impact
The vinyl used for What Party White has a soft luster, offering a sense of touch that feels both familiar and clinical. The piece has no articulation, no face beyond the fixed eyes, and no detail beyond its bulging structure. Yet the physical presence is profound. KAWS understands form, balance, and spatial presence, giving even the simplest object emotional weight. The edition is marked by printed foot text that identifies the piece, and the box itself becomes part of the experience, featuring a monochrome drawing of the figure that feels both product schematic and visual obituary. The clean presentation elevates this vinyl figure into the territory of sculpture, forcing audiences to consider what defines emotion, memory, and representation in collectible form.
Edition as Time Capsule in Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork
Released in 2020, the What Party White edition instantly became a symbol of absence and adaptation. Though technically labeled as an open edition, its run was limited by the conditions of the year, making it out of print and highly sought after. The work functions as a time capsule—documenting not only a period in global history but also a shift in how art audiences collect, connect, and reflect. KAWS, born Brian Donnelly, remains one of the most influential artists working within Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork, building a bridge between street-influenced graphic minimalism and fine art sculpture. What Party White is a distillation of that legacy, combining vulnerability and design into one figure that stands alone, isolated, wondering where the noise, movement, and human contact went. The sculpture is not a call to party—it is the question of what’s left when the music stops.
