KAWS' “THE MESSAGE” Lands at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence

Summary

• KAWS: THE MESSAGE is now on view at Florence’s Palazzo Strozzi through January 25
• The “Annunciation” reimagination stars beloved characters, COMPANION and BFF
• The installation explores themes of technology, isolation and connection in the digital age

Renaissance decadence meets pop cultural play in “KAWS: THE MESSAGE”, a new large-scale installation at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. The New York-based artist, born Brian Donnelly, transforms the 15th-century loggia with two six-meter figures, bringing a tactile, wooden warmth to the cool geometry of the stone arcade.

In this reworking of Fra Angelico’s late Gothic “Annunciation” (1433), we see two of KAWS’ beloved characters with smartphones in-hand, replacing the original angelic encounter with a meditation on the digitally divine. BFF stands tall with a hand on heart, while COMPANION crouches below with attention engulfed by the screen’s supposed glow. The composition recalls the sacred dialogue shared between Mary and the Archangel Gabriel, imbuing it with the intensity of modern isolation.

Presented against the backdrop of a concurrent Angelico exhibition running at the palace, “THE MESSAGE” brings the strange, albeit ubiquitous, act of staring at a screen into focus. By exploring how technology reshapes our ability to connect with one another, the installation offers up a solemn, almost liturgical presence, like an annunciation rewritten for our era of hyper-communication.

The installation and corresponding Fra Angelico exhibition are now on view in Italy through January 26.

Palazzo Strozzi
Piazza degli Strozzi,
50123 Firenze FI,
Italy