Gareth Pugh 與 Jeremy Scott 等設計師聯合訪問藝術家 Jeff Koons

以金屬氣球造型藝術品而聞名藝術師 Jeff Koons，可謂是當代藝術領域的泰山北鬥，他標志性的「氣球狗」不僅成爲衆多藝術家的靈感源泉，更被廣泛運用于各種設計之中。最近《i-D Magazine》便請來 Gareth Pugh, Walter van Beirendonck, Bernhard Willhelm 和 Jeremy Scott 四位知名設計師，爲他們提供一個機會訪問 Jeff Koons，向這位藝術大師探討氣球藝術的靈感，以及與 Duchamp 和 Warhol 的對比等問題。下面便帶來我們的節選內容，完整訪談不妨查看 i-D 官方網站。

Gareth Pugh: Where did your obsession with balloons come from?

Probably from a child and from vacuum cleaners. I remember coming across these machines that were powerful and anthropomorphic. I like balloons because they’re like people. You inflate them and they’re like us in breathing, but in complete reversal because there’s a density inside us and in a balloon it’s just emptiness and air. The density’s on the outside.

Walter van Bierendonck: What’s been your favourite artwork by another artist?

I really enjoy the whole vocabulary of art, so if I had to choose one I would say the Venus Of Willendorf (a stone statuette dating back to 1908), because it references history, there is a sense of mystery. If you think of a string of popcorn, with each artist being part of that string, I would say the Venus Of Willendorf is like the big bang.

Jeremy Scott: Do you fantasize about Paris Hilton? What is your view on celebrity culture?

I don’t really fantasize about Paris at all. I find celebrity culture amazing. It shows our weaknesses. If something is repeated or displayed automatically it takes on a sense of significance, whether or not it has any significance in our life or not. But just through that repetition it takes on significance.