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ARTISTS WHO ARE TURNING A
CORNER INTO THE MAINSTREAM.
WITH SERENA ALTSCHUL WE MAKE
THE ACQUAINTANCE OF KAWZ.
>> Reporter: WHAT IS IT OR WHO,
TO BE PRECISE, HAS BROUGHT
BOTH ART COLLECTORS AND SKATER
KIDS TO THIS GALLERY OPENING
ON NEW YORK'S FIFTH AVENUE?
>> I DIDN'T THINK I WOULD SEE
THIS MANY PEOPLE.
IT'S INTERESTING.
>> Reporter: MEET KAWZ, K-A-W-S,
PAINTER, DESIGNER, FORMER
GRAFFITI ARTIST AND ONE OF THE
HOTTEST NAMES IN THE ART
WORLD.
MORE ON HIS UNUSUAL NAME IN A
MINUTE.
AFTER YEARS OF SHYING AWAY
FROM GALLERYS, THIS RELUCTANT
STAR IS NOW SHOWING HIS FACE
AND HIS WORK TO A WHOLE NEW
CROWD.
>> THE MINUTE I SAW THEM, THE
VERY MINUTE, I SAID, "THAT'S
IT."
>> Reporter: SANDRA GERRING
OWNS THE GERRING AND LOPEZ
GALLERY.
>> HE IS JUST OF HIS TIME.
HE CONNECTS WH HIS
GENERATION.
TOTALLY.
AND THE YOUNGER ONES AS WELL.
I MEAN, THEY JUST IDOLIZE HIM.
>> IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE
SOMEBODY PAINTED IT.
IT FEELS ALMOST LIKE A DRAWING
BLOWN UP.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
>> PERFECT.
>> IT'S PERFECT.
>> NO ONE WOULD BE LIKE THIS.
>> Reporter: IT WASN'T ALL
THAT LONG AGO THAT THE
34-YEAR-OLD KAWZ WAS JUST
ANOTHERISS CHIEF U KID.
HE FOUND HIS ARTISTIC VOICE
THROUGH THE ILLEGAL PUBLIC
PAINTING OF GRAFFITI.
>> I JUST STARTED SIMPLY DOING
GRAFFITI.
ENJOYING MY SKATEBOARD AND
PAINTING ON WALLS AND GETTING
THAT SMALL RECOGNITION.
>> Reporter: TO HIS FAMILY,
HE'S KNOWN AS BRI DONNELLY.
HE GREW UP IN THE SHADOW OF
MANHATTAN JUST ACROSS THE
RIVER IN JERSEY CITY.
WHERE HIS FADED TAGS CAN STILL
BE SEEN ON THE SIDES OF
BUILDING.
DONNELLY USED THE NAME KAWZ TO
STAY ANONYMOUS.
HE ONLY MADE HIS REAL NAME
PUBLIC FIVE YEARS AGO.
YOUR NAME COMES FROM WHAT?
>> IT'S JUST A COMBINATION OF
LETTERS THAT I LIKED.
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOUR WHOLE ART
IS BASED ON THE LETTERING YOU
CHOOSE YOU KIND OF FIGURE OUT,
I JUST LIKED THE SHAPE OF
THOSE LETTERS.
IT HAS NO MEANING.
>> Reporter: KAUDZ BECAME A
STREET LEGEND IN THE '90s BY
PAINTING OVER BUS STOP ADS,
ESTABLISHING HIS SIGNATURE
MARK DRAWING X'S OVER EYES.
HE THEN STARTED DESIGNING
PRODUCTS AND VINYL FIGURES.
>> MY FIRST CHARACTER WAS
CALLED COMPANION.
>> Reporter: AND PAINTING
CARTOON CHARACTERS FROM HIS
CHILDHOOD.
>> THERE IS KIND OF A
NOSTALGIC FEELING, I GET, WHEN
I SEE IT.
IT'S LIKE, OH, THOSE GUYS.
>> Reporter: ESPECIALLY THE
SMURT.
FOR ME THAT'S ONE OF THE
THINGS IF I WENT TO THE
DENTIST, I WOULD BUY A SMURF
AFTERWARDS.
>> Reporter: TEN YEARS LATER
THANKS IN PART TO A HUGE
INTERNET FAN BASE, KAWZ, WHO
HASN'T PAINTED GRAFFITI IN A
DECADE, HAS BECOME A WORLDWIDE
SENSATION.
EVEN SOME OF MUSIC'S BIGGEST
NAMES HAVE TAKEN NOTE.
HIP HOP MOGUL PHARRELL
WILLIA WAS AN EARLY ADD...
ADMIRER.
>> WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT HIM
LIKE HE'SHE GUY WHO MADE US
PAY ATTENTION TO ART.
>> Reporter: WILLIAMS HAS
COMMISSIONED DOZENS OF PIECES
FOR HIS MIAMI HOME.
>> WHEN YOU SEE KAWZ, HE IS
SOMETHING.
HIS WORK IS REALLY TRULY LIKE
A STIMULANT.
LIKE YOU SEE IT AND IT MAKES
YOU, YOU KNOW, IT CONNECTS
WITH THE INNER CHILD.
>> Reporter: AND KAWZ HAS ALSO
CREATED ART WORK FOR SUPER
STAR RAPPER KANYE WEST.
COLORFUL DESIGNS BY KAWZ
APPEAR ON WEST'S LATEST ALBUM
COVER AND ON BILLBOARDS
INCLUDING THIS ONE IN TIMES
SQUARE.
>> THAT'S YOU.
>> YEAH.
>> THAT'S GREAT.
>> Reporter: WORKING OUT OF
HIS BROOKLYN STUDIO, KAWZ HAS
ALSO COLLABORATED WITH SOME OF
THE WORLD'S BIGGEST BRANDS
LIKE NIKE AND MARK JACOBS.
>> I'VE WORKED WITH PEOPLE
THAT I ADMIRE.
HE'S ONE OF THEM.
>> Reporter: HE ONLY RELEASES
A LIMITED NUMBER OF EACH
PRODUCT.
WHAT IS A FAN TO DO?
IF SOMEONE WANTS TO BUY ONE OF
YOUR....
>> YOU KNOW, THEY BECOME SAVVY
REALLY FAST AND FIGURE OUT HOW
TO BUY STUFF.
>> Reporter: BUT IT'S NOT THAT
EASY.
>> SO WHO IS THIS GUY?
>> Reporter: JUST A STORM
TROOPER.
>> Reporter: LAST FALL
THOUSANDS OF FANS LINED THE
STREETS OF TOKYO OUTSIDE
KAWZ'S SHOP IN HOP OF BUYING
A STAR WARS STORM TROOPER HE
DESIGNED WITH LUCAS FILM.
MOST WENT HOME EMPTY HANDED.
DESPITE HIS INCREASING FAME,
KAWZ SAYS HE IS STILL HAPPIEST
IN THE STUDIO.
>> IT'S REALLY THE ONLY TIME
WHERI CAN KIND OF HAVE LIKE
A CLARITY AND THINK ABOUT
EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON.
THERE'S A SORT OF CALMNESS OF
BEING THERE AND WORKING AND
BEING IN THE STUDIO ALONE.
>> Reporter: HOW LONG DID THIS
ONE TAKE YOU?
>> PROBABLY ABOUT THREE OR
FOUR WEEKS.
THAT'S WORKING ON OER STUFF
AT THE SAME TIME.
>> Reporter: HE'S CREATED
DOZENS OF NEW PIECES INCLUDING
BRONZE SCULPTURES OF HIS OWN
HEAD.
FOR SOLO SHOWS AT GALLERYS IN
NEW YORK, MIAMI, AND AN
UPCOMING EXHIBITION THAT OPENS
LATER THIS MONTH IN LOS
ANGELES.
THEY CAN SELL FOR UP TO
$100,000.
THE SHOWS GIVE KAWZ A CHANCE
TO INTRODUCE HIMSELF TO A NEW
AUDIENCE.
WHILE SENDING HIS DIE-HARD
FANS INTO A FRENZY.
>> THAT'S LIKE REALLY REALLY
COOL.
>> NO PROBLEM.
>> Reporter: YOU'RE STILL
SURPRISED THAT IT'S THIS BIG
AND KIND OF COME THIS FAR?
>> YEAH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO
MAKE OF IT.
IT IS SHOCKING THAT THERE'S
LIKE THAT MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE
INTERESTED OR FOLLOWING THE
WORK.
>> Reporter: WHILE FANS SEE
HIM AS A PHENOMENON, KAWZ HAS
A DIFFERENT TAKE.
>> RIGHT NOW I FEEL HUNGRY.
THERE'S LIKE A LOT OF THINGS I
NEED TO SETTLE.