Jeff Koons

Stellan Holm Gallery, New York

Colours: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is deeper and richer in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There are several irregularities to the patina, inherent to the artist's working process.
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"When I was thinking of the Equilibrium tanks, one day I saw a snorkel and I had the idea to transform it and cast these objects into bronze. I like the idea of weight." (Jeff Koons cited in: Jeff Koons, Pictures 1980-2002, New York 2002, p. 18)

 

Made in 1985, the Snorkel is part of the artist's groundbreaking Equilibrium series, which consisted of bronze casts of sporting and life saving equipment, water-filled aquariums with basket-balls suspended in permanent stasis, and a selection of Nike posters depicting famous NBA players.

As the name of the series indicates, Koons played with these opposing concepts and finds in their contrast the state of equilibrium. The Snorkel is supposed to be light to serve its purpose; however cast in bronze, it becomes heavy and entirely unsuitable to use in water. As result of this the object assumes a symbolic meaning and becomes a sort of "relic" (Ibid., p. 18).

 

In doing so, Koons looks at Duchamp's readymade concept and stretches it to its extreme limits to find the pure object, through which to communicate social and philosophical issues. The art work is a tool in his hands to look at and document the ethical and aesthetical values of the American middle class. Therefore the object for Koons becomes a sort of idol. The Snorkel symbolizes the sporting world, which is the new lifestyle model and whose protagonists are the new spiritual gurus for the masses. It is also made of bronze-a material fitting for a statue of a profane god; the god of mass consumption.

 

The moral statement made by the artwork is even more effective when you consider Koons' personal and professional background. The artist created the object whilst working as a stock trader. This job helped him to survive financially, invest in his artistic work and lead to a deep interest in consumption, reproduction and commodities. As such the Snorkel becomes the metaphor to find a way of surviving and breathing in such difficult artistic and middle class environment.

The expansion of the readymade concept through the transformation of the material makes the Snorkel iconic in Koons' creative evolution. It brings to the viewers' attention the different symbolic layers that find their fil rouge in Koons' ironic game of stressing and balancing contrasts. The Snorkel becomes an object existing at the point that life and death find their Equilibrium.