Jeff Koons has announced his plan to dispatch a series of new sculptures to the moon later this year. The creations by the world’s most expensive living artist are scheduled to reach the Earth’s natural satellite in July, where they will remain indefinitely.
These sculptures will be transported aboard a lunar lander named Nova C, designed by the private American company Intuitive Machines. The spacecraft will be launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida, and will make its descent to Oceanus Procellarum, a region on the near side of the moon. Typically, it takes around three days for a spacecraft to cover the 240,000 miles between the Earth and the moon.
Upon touchdown, the sculptures will be permanently housed within a transparent cube, coated thermally for protection. More details about the artworks will be disclosed via a dedicated website in the upcoming weeks. However, it’s worth noting that only one Nova C lander will transport the sculptures. Given its load capacity of 100kg and dimensions of two-by-three meters, it’s improbable that Koons’s lunar-bound artworks will match the scale of his most renowned sculptures.
In addition to the lunar expedition, Jeff Koons will debut his inaugural series of NFTs under the project titled “Jeff Koons: Moon Phases.” Last year in Munich, the artist hinted at his entry into the NFT realm without divulging specifics. These NFTs will be made available through Pace Verso, the NFT platform of his gallery Pace, with each NFT corresponding to a physical sculpture. According to an official release, proceeds from “one of the first NFT sales” will be contributed to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières.
In a statement, Koons explains his motivation behind the project: “I wanted to create a historically meaningful NFT project rooted in humanistic and philosophical thought. Space explorations have given us a perspective of our ability to transcend worldly constraints. These ideas are central to my NFT project, which can be understood as a continuation and celebration of humanity’s aspirational accomplishments within and beyond our own planet.”
