Koons Ruins: Discovery Zone (solo show)
West Valley College, Saratoga, California
February 20 – April 4, 2024

Read the Review on SquareCylinder.com!

Perhaps you recently learned that pop-kitsch artist Jeff Koons’ sent his sculptures to the moon (thanks to Elon Musk) to create NFTs?  If this news brought on a whole new level of disappointment with the art world, Kathy Aoki’s Koons Ruins: Discovery Zone solo exhibition provides a guaranteed cathartic experience.

Set up like a visitors’ learning center, complete with gift shop, this show is conceptually based on a fabled estate known as “Koons Ruins.” Imagine an art collector whose hatred for Jeff Koons’ work eventually compels her to take destructive action. She buys Koons’ artwork, hides it on her estate, then subjects it to accelerated degradation. When she passes away, her property is opened to the public as “Koons Ruins.”

This fictional estate is explored via tongue-in-cheek interactive learning panels, souvenir stamping station, audio tour of the grounds, visitor photo stand, and a peephole diorama. Humor abounds! 

You can learn more about my Koons Ruins series here.