Jeff Koons is widely famous as a contemporary sculptor with a unique visual style. Some art lovers describe Koons as a master of spectacle; others associate him with cultural provocation. Yet, though the artist definitely falls for kitsch, with his balloon dogs and stainless-steel inflatables symbolizing lightness and unlimited creativity, the backstage of creative production is still meticulous and precise. Here is a glimpse of the industrial universe of Jeff Koons’ sculptures and the blend of science and technology that brings his art to life.
Contemporary art often walks hand in hand with science and technology. So, nothing is surprising in the fact that Jeff Koons collaborates with a large team of engineers, fabricators, computer modelling scientists, and material scientists to materialize his creative ideas. According to the artist, the process of sculpture creation starts long before he touches metal. Jeff Koons’ team uses next-gen 3D modelling software to prototype sculptures and create high-resolution images of what every curve of the planned creation will look like.
The digital sketches of Koons’ future work represent accurate engineering blueprints that the artist uses to shape metal in line with his creative intentions. A tiny deviation from the modelling plan may warp reflections and destroy the illusion of weightlessness for which Koons’ inflatable sculptures have become globally famous. This modeling process is iterative and scrupulous, repeated until the moment the artist sees a prototype fully consistent with his idea. This procedure requires advanced scientific knowledge, with Koons experimenting with surface tension, balance, and reflective patterns to build an ideal sculpture.
As soon as Koons proceeds with sculpting an artwork, true magic begins. One thing that all appreciators of his art have to know is that the artist always uses specific metal alloys resistant to forming without cracking. That’s why his sculptures can take such fancy shapes, a result of hydroforming and precision welding manipulations – borrowings from automotive and aerospace engineering industries. The final stage of the sculpture creation process is adding a mirror finish to it. Koons achieves that signature effect of reflective surface by means of an exhaustive, multi-step polishing process that extends for months. Technicians apply fine abrasives to polish the surface, gradually progressing from regular buffing to microscopic-fraction polishing.
The process is geared toward removing the tiniest elements of surface imperfection, though for Koons, an imperfect surface is also a source of his sculptures’ conceptual statement. Any distortion of the surface reflection makes an artwork unique, thus elevating the creative genius and value of each art object.
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