SINGAPORE — The organisers of the Kaws: Holiday Singapore exhibition at The Float @ Marina Bay were on Saturday (13 November) served with a court order to halt the event.
The injunction was obtained by local non-profit outfit The Ryan Foundation (TRF), which is suing the Hong Kong-based organisers AllRightsReserved (ARR).
According to a statement from TRF, the Singapore court issued the order “that the exhibition be stopped from taking place and the sale and distribution of relevant merchandise relating to the exhibition halted, as these were in breach of TRF’s intellectual property rights and misuse of confidential information”.
“In addition, all advertising and/or publicity for the exhibition has been ordered to stop,” said TRF.
The Kaws: Holiday Singapore exhibition, which is supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), is set to open to the public on Sunday and last till 21 November.
Part of the event's highlights include a 42m-long inflatable artwork of the American artist Kaws' signature Companion character set up at The Float @ Marina Bay, as well as the sale of merchandise relating to the Singapore show, such as vinyl figures, fans and apparel.
TRF’s suit relates to information that was allegedly shared between the parties during the discussions – which included a site visit – for the 2019 show.
Adrian Chan, TRF's director, described the court’s granting of the injunction as a “victory” for all the people who had “worked tirelessly on the exhibition since 2019”. He added, “The injunction could have been averted if questions were raised and stakeholders consulted.”
Comments