Jeff Koons Talks About the Design and Symbolism of Balloon Dog

"It is a little bit like a Trojan horse"

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog sculptures are among his most well-known pieces for various reasons. Most recently, Balloon Dog (Orange) sold for $58,405,000 which set a new World Auction Record for a Living Artist. In this interview with Sandenwolff, Koons talks about the inspirations behind the entire inflatable series and discusses what Balloon Dog represents for him.

Koons describes the artwork as a "symbol of us." He talks about the literal actions of inhaling and exhaling air and says that we "are inflatables." For Koons, breathing in is a symbol of optimism, while exhaling is a symbol of death, which in turn makes the inflatable sculpture a symbol of "eternal optimism." He goes on to equate the sculpture to a Trojan horse for its perceived emptiness, stating that it "has this interior aspect, being able to parallel life's energy....it's having a dialogue with interior life and exterior life."

Jeff Koons on Balloon Dog from SandenWolff on Vimeo.

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[via Hypebeast

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