Brian Donnelly (b. 1974), better known as KAWS, is a Jersey-born artist whose affinity for collaborations, evocative illustrations, and toys have made him a fixture of 21st-century pop culture. KAWS: HE EATS ALONE on view within the Garage Gallery traces the influence of KAWS on the international contemporary art field. Curated by Germano Celant, the exhibition explores the artist’s vast oeuvre, including paintings, sculptures, toys, and products.

Born in Spain, in 1881, Pablo Picasso was the most dominant and influential artist of the first half of the 20th century. His prolific output includes over 20,000 paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, theater sets, and costumes that convey myriad intellectual, political, social, and amorous messages. His creative styles transcend realism and abstraction, Cubism, Neoclassicism, Surrealism, and Expressionism. Through the 40s to the 60s, Picasso’s international fame increased with large exhibitions in cities across the world. A retrospective in New York at the Museum of Modern Art in 1957 garnered a massive amount of attention, with over 100,000 visitors during the first month. Picasso died in 1973, leaving an artistic legacy that continues to resonate today throughout the world.

Maryam Yaqoob al Madadi’s artworks evoke nostalgia and memories of Qatar’s past. A local illustrator, Maryam’s artworks were a part of the National Museum of Qatar’s Mal Lawal 3 collection. Through Maryam’s illustrations, she shares a glimpse of Qatar’s history and convey it in a modern fashion, to be relatable to the youth of today. Maryam studied illustration at the American University in Washington, DC and currently works in Qatar Museums.

Born in 1955, in York, Pennsylvania, Jeff Koons is a contemporary artist based in New York. Since his first solo exhibition in 1980, his works have been exhibited in major museums, galleries, and cultural institutions around the world; including the Rockefeller Center, the Palace of Versailles, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. He has received numerous awards and honours in recognition of his cultural achievements. Koons is also known as a philanthropist; over the last four decades he has been involved with many causes while also serving on the board of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children.