Honestly, I only wanted to go to the Koons exhibit to get an amazing picture in front of Balloon Dog. I’ve only heard of Jeff Koons work once in my life while researching Asian culture. Having just saw the Kara Walker exhibit, the Koons exhibit was not as deep but I was still very intrigued because I love avant-garde art.
I pre-purchased my ticket to avoid waiting on the long line and invited two friends to experience “Cult-of-Koons” also known as Retrospective at the Whitney Museum.
We started on the top floor and worked our way down. The first exhibit we visited was called Antiquity which showcased artwork from the ancient world infused with 1950’s pinups girls. We eventually made our way to Popeye and Hulk Elvis before discovering the “nirvana” of the exhibit also known as Balloon Dog and the Playdough structure. I was intrigued by his artwork but to be honest I didn’t understand it. What was the deeper meaning behind his sculptures?
We proceeded to The inflatables, Gazing Ball, and Banality. I enjoyed these exhibits the least. For one, I am not a fan of readymade art. I understand the sexual undertones of the inflatables but it lacked substance. Equilibrium was pretty cool; how he got the basketball to stay afloat in that water was beyond me. Luxury and Degradation was funny. All hail to the Hennessy piece.
Overall, I enjoyed a great night out with my girls. There is something so cool about going to a museum at 1AM. I felt so Sex in the City when Carrie was dating Aleksandr Petrovsky. We eventually found out the Retrospective was in a sense mocking and/or highlighting the tangible things that we value so much in our culture including sex, athletes, celebrities, alcohol, and play dough among others. Twas a night to remember.
LifestyleByKy 