Summary
- KAWS exhibits THE MESSAGE at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence through January 26, 2025
- Two six-meter wooden figures reimagine Fra Angelico's 1433 Annunciation with COMPANION and BFF characters holding smartphones
- The work examines technology's effect on human connection inside a 15th-century Renaissance palace
New York artist Brian Donnelly, known professionally as KAWS, has installed a major new work at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy. THE MESSAGE occupies the palace's 15th-century loggia with two wooden sculptures, each standing six meters tall. The installation runs through January 26, 2025.
The work reinterprets Fra Angelico's Annunciation from 1433. KAWS replaces the painting's religious figures with his signature characters, COMPANION and BFF. Both figures hold smartphones. BFF stands upright with one hand placed over its heart. COMPANION crouches lower, eyes fixed on a phone screen.
The sculptures bring wood into the stone arcade of Palazzo Strozzi. The material choice creates a visual contrast with the Renaissance architecture surrounding the figures. KAWS uses the loggia's historic setting to frame contemporary behavior within classical space.
Fra Angelico's original painting depicts the Archangel Gabriel announcing to Mary that she will bear Jesus. The composition places two figures in architectural space, creating a moment of sacred communication. KAWS keeps this two-figure structure while replacing divine revelation with digital absorption.
THE MESSAGE coincides with an exhibition of Fra Angelico's work at the same location. Visitors encounter both the 15th-century painter's religious scenes and KAWS' interpretation of similar compositional elements. The pairing places Renaissance devotional art alongside commentary on 21st-century screen habits.
COMPANION appears in a hunched position, attention directed downward toward the device. The posture suggests absorption, perhaps isolation. BFF's standing pose and hand gesture reference the receptive stance of Mary in religious iconography. The gesture here reads differently when combined with a smartphone.
The installation addresses how screens mediate human interaction. Where Fra Angelico showed an angel delivering divine news, KAWS shows figures separated by their devices. The work transforms a moment of connection into one of parallel isolation.
Palazzo Strozzi provides specific context for this comparison. The building dates to the late 1400s and represents Florentine Renaissance architecture. Its courtyard and loggia have hosted public gatherings for centuries. KAWS places his figures in a space designed for communal life, now staging a scene of technological withdrawal.
The wooden material gives the figures physical presence. At six meters, they dominate the loggia's scale. Visitors must look up to see them fully, similar to viewing religious sculptures in churches. The work borrows this viewing experience while offering different content.
THE MESSAGE follows KAWS' pattern of inserting recognizable characters into art historical contexts. He has previously worked with Old Master paintings and classical sculpture. This installation continues that approach, using Florence's artistic heritage as a backdrop.
The artist has exhibited globally since the 1990s. His work appears in museums, public spaces, and commercial products. THE MESSAGE represents a focused engagement with European religious painting, staged within steps of major Renaissance masterpieces.
Palazzo Strozzi sits in central Florence at Piazza degli Strozzi. The palace hosts temporary exhibitions alongside its permanent architecture. The KAWS installation and Fra Angelico exhibition share the space until late January 2026.
The work invites comparison between how people receive information across different eras. Fra Angelico painted divine communication arriving through an angel. KAWS shows communication arriving through screens. Both moments involve figures receiving messages, separated by six centuries and different technologies.
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Andrea Darren
Born in Manchester, from a young age, she was passionate about art and design. She studied at the University of the Arts in London, where she developed her skills in these fields. Today, Andrea works as an editor for a renowned publishing house, combining her love for art and design with her editorial expertise.