Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Blow up

Here’s a mind puzzle for you. In 2003 Jeff Koons cast a set of inflatable monkeys in aluminium and painted them to look just like the originals (Monkeys (Chair) from the Popeye series). The three monkeys hung from the ceiling with the bottom of the three holding onto a chair that swung free of the floor. To look at the works you'd swear they were inflated plastic, to touch them (while the guard wasn’t looking) was to know they were metal. 

The other day in a gift store in Wellington we were surprised to see the same 'sculpture' displayed in the window only this time it was really made of inflated plastic monkeys, the same ones Koons used. If you want to make your own Monkeys (chair) go here (chair not included).
Images: Top left, available inflatable monkeys, right, Koons Monkeys (chair) and bottom, the Wellington version