Tomorrow, Florence welcomes a striking new chapter in contemporary art as KAWS: THE MESSAGE opens at Palazzo Strozzi (October 29th, 2025 – January 25th, 2026). The American artist—celebrated for his bold blend of pop imagery and fine art—unveils a monumental KAWS’ sculpture that bridges centuries of artistic expression, creating a dialogue between Renaissance architecture and today’s digital age.
Exploring human connection through visual communication
Curated by Arturo Galansino, the installation is part of the Palazzo Strozzi Future Art programme, a series dedicated to bringing contemporary voices into conversation with the past. In this case, KAWS reinterprets one of Fra Angelico’s most iconic subjects, The Annunciation, using his instantly recognizable characters to reflect on themes of communication, technology, and modern isolation.
In THE MESSAGE, two of KAWS’s emblematic figures appear mid-interaction—one holding a smartphone that glows like a sacred object. The familiar gesture of looking at a screen becomes a powerful metaphor for how we connect, and disconnect, in an age of hyper-communication. The artist’s use of visual communication transforms an everyday scene into a moment of quiet reverence, inviting viewers to reconsider their relationship with digital culture.
Visual Communication Meets Renaissance Dialogue
The courtyard installation at Palazzo Strozzi redefines the viewer’s experience of both space and time. KAWS integrates his characteristic irony and emotional depth within the Renaissance setting, crafting a poetic tension between the eternal and the ephemeral. The smooth, cartoon-like surfaces of his figures contrast the stone symmetry of the courtyard, while the stillness of the scene echoes the devotional calm of early religious art.
Visitors are invited to engage freely with the installation, accessible to the public day and night. This open format embodies the mission of the Future Art programme—to dissolve the boundaries between classical heritage and living creativity through the universal language of art and visual communication.
