Jeff Koons: Gazing Ball

Jeff Koons: Gazing Ball
Guy Hepner – Until Aug 29, 2023 New York (US)

Guy Hepner is pleased to present Jeff Koons: Gazing Ball, a feature exhibition showcasing the artist’s ground breaking series created between 2016 and 2021.
The series of twelve artworks tells the story of art history under the contemporary guise. Jeff Koons references masterpieces by the likes of Gauguin, Monet and Reubens and pairs them with a highly reflective, cobalt blue gazing ball.

Juxtaposition.

Looking at the Gazing Ball works, the viewer sees oneself reflected in the mirrored surface at the same time as one sees the print. This juxtaposition of art historical reference with the viewer’s present-day reflection invites a dialogue about the meaning of time and how we transcend it. “This experience is about you,” says Koons, “your desires, your interests, your participation, your relationship with this image.” He says that the images he used—some of the most famous in art history—are not intended to represent the canon, but are rather “works that I enjoy… my cultural DNA.”

The Gazing Ball print series.

He also points out that many of the artists referred to in the series have influenced one another: “Monet is always referencing Rubens… Manet is referencing Raphael… Everybody enjoyed Titian.” The Gazing Ball print series raises important questions about the act of looking, reflection (actual and metaphorical), and the relationship between the pictures. This is “not about being a copy,” Koons says. “This is about this union, the concept of participating. Everybody’s in this dialogue of sharing enjoyment and pleasure.

Guy Hepner →  521 W 26th Street, 5th Floor Chelsea – New York, NY, USA 10001

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