KAWS Hot Air Balloon Project Accepts Crypto Payments, Supported by FTX Pay, the Journey’s Official Payment Partner

The "KAWS: HOLIDAY" world tour exhibition, which started in 2018, started from Seoul, went to Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan and space, and received great response at each stop. In response to the repeated outbreaks in various places, people are unable to travel abroad, this time "KAWS: HOLIDAY" will fly to your city.

In May 2021, KAWS once again teamed up with long-term partner, organizer and curator AllRightsReserved, and joined hands with the official payment partner of the journey, FTX Pay, to embark on a new journey, returning to Earth from space, transforming into a hot air balloon to lead passengers soaring into the sky. This is also the first "KAWS:HOLIDAY" hot air balloon project to accept cryptocurrency payments.

FTX Pay, the official payment partner of Journey

Inquiries are now open for KAWS:HOLIDAY Hot Air Balloon World Tour! KAWS:HOLIDAY never disappoints, and this time it brings a new surprise and a rapidly changing technology - cryptocurrency - a global phenomenon that has been hotly discussed in recent years. Combined with the latest cryptocurrency payment methods, supported by the new cryptocurrency payment processor FTX Pay, KAWS:HOLIDAY Hot Air Balloon World Tour will take off in the fourth quarter of 2021.

FTX Pay is a customizable payment processor that allows you to send, pay or receive crypto and fiat money in a secure, fast, and cost-effective way. This innovative and powerful payment solution is provided by FTX, the fastest growing cryptocurrency exchange in the world.

FTX Pay, the official payment partner of Journey

“We’re excited to have FTX Pay be a part of the next phase of KAWS:HOLIDAY’s journey, empowering a new generation of crypto users and investors to enjoy this one-of-a-kind immersive art experience,” said Sam Bankman-Fried, Founder and CEO of FTX. “We’ll continue to innovate and look forward to bringing people together through these unique experiences.”

“We are thrilled to bring KAWS:HOLIDAY to the world and honored to have FTX join us in this iconic project and accept cryptocurrency payments for the first time,” said SK Lam, founder of AllRightsReserved. “With the support of FTX Pay, KAWS:HOLIDAY will bring everyone an easy and innovative journey with the latest and fastest digital payment experience.”

The journey includes limited items from the KAWS:HOLIDAY Hot Air Balloon World Tour

Soar into the skies with KAWS:HOLIDAY World Tour

The World Balloon Tour took off for the first time in Bristol, England, known as the “Balloon Capital”. The KAWS:HOLIDAY balloon, 42 meters high and one of the largest in the world, will take passengers soaring through the sky to enjoy the breathtaking scenery.

KAWS transformed COMPANION into a hot air balloon – the first manned flight technology in history – to explore the beauty of Bristol from above. KAWS said: “I am very happy to continue my journey with KAWS:HOLIDAY and hope to bring more inspiration and enlightenment to everyone in the current global environment.

After exploring land, sea, and space on their own, COMPANION invites passengers to join them on a once-in-a-lifetime journey into the skies. KAWS:HOLIDAY Balloon World Tour is now accepting booking inquiries. It will take off in the fourth quarter of 2021 and may land in your city. The region and price of each stop will be determined based on the response to booking inquiries. For the first time, customers will be able to pay in fiat and cryptocurrencies, supported by FTX Pay. To participate in this hot air balloon experience, please visit the official website of KAWS:HOLIDAY Balloon World Tour for details.

About KAWS

KAWS, an internationally renowned artist, is from Brooklyn, an industrial area in southwest New York, and has held solo exhibitions in many countries. KAWS became interested in street graffiti when he was young. Since 1996, he has been creating graffiti on the streets of Manhattan, painting his personal skull and XX eye patterns on advertising light boxes, telephone booths and bus stops, and became famous for this. KAWS's works have a strong impact on contemporary visual culture and are enthusiastically sought after in Europe, the United States and Japan. He repositions popular culture, life themes and images, constructs a unique humorous artistic charm, and perfectly integrates design, business, street culture and art. His works include large sculptures, paintings, street art and product design. KAWS has held exhibitions in many national art museums, including: High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Brooklyn Museum in New York, USA, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in Texas, USA, Yorkshire Sculpture Park in the UK and Yuz Museum in Shanghai.

About AllRightsReserved Ltd.

AllRightsReserved Creative Studio (ARR) was founded in Hong Kong in 2003.

Over the years, ARR has designed and planned exclusive marketing plans for many internationally renowned brands, and has been planning various large-scale projects for partner brands in Asia, often mobilizing many friendly units and partners in the contemporary art world to bring the most effective and influential outstanding projects. These large-scale projects not only receive high attention, but also allow the public to participate.

ARR’s long-term partner is the famous American contemporary artist KAWS. Starting from KAWS: PASSING THROUGH in 2010, to the ongoing KAWS: HOLIDAY─the giant inflatable sculpture COMPANION, it has been exhibited in various relaxed postures in different regions, including Korea (July 2018), Taipei (January 2019), Hong Kong (March 2019), Japan (July 2019) and Space Station (August 2020).

Among all the projects, the most memorable one for the public in Hong Kong and even the whole of Asia must be the art project with Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman: in 2013, ARR brought a rubber duck in a giant bathtub to the world-famous Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. After the unprecedented success of "Rubber Duck Around the World: Hong Kong Station", ARR planned three permanent giant outdoor sculptures in important cities in China: Chengdu, Shenzhen and Changsha.

The projects have received unanimous praise and set a record for the number of participants, marking a successful step forward. ARR breaks through the previously established and familiar concepts of venues and spaces, reshapes a novel exhibition model, and is also recognized by the industry and the public.

About FTX Pay

FTX Pay is a customizable payment processor that lets you send, pay or receive crypto and fiat money online in a secure, fast, and cost-effective way.