Held at the Newport Street Gallery, Jeff Koons: Now, displays works from his entire career, including his inflatables, hoovers, and playful take on advertising. I went into the exhibition with very little knowledge on Koons, other than knowing that his work has elements of Pop Art, with a more Abstract, contemporary feel. I have always been interested in learning more about the artist, as I’m a huge Warhol fan, and they explore similar themes of having no hidden meanings behind their work; using banal every day objects and turning them into art. Koons rose to fame in the 80s with a generation of artists who explore media and art, which is clearly an inspiration from Warhol, so I was looking forward to learning more.

The only information given about the pieces in the exhibition, was the materials used. The fact that a blow up beach toy that looks like plastic, is actually steel, does give an interesting flip on what you’re looking at. However, you're understandably not allowed to touch the sculptures, so you’re left wondering what the texture is like. This new dimension added to the pieces gives a bit more information on the context and message, yet it’s not enough to completely sway me into appreciating his work. One thing I would compliment is the floor layouts allowing you to view the balloon dog from above, giving a new element to the sculpture.

Going back to the comparison with Warhol, I understand the goal of turning advertisements and every day products back on to the consumer to see them differently, like Warhol’s soup cans and Koons’ hoovers. With Koons being such a well respected contemporary artist, I won’t summarise my opinion on him based on this exhibition alone. Pop Art, especially Warhol’s work, is one of my driving points in my own work, as the world Warhol created as well as his art is something I continually look to for inspiration. However, this exhibition didn’t leave me wanting more, which could be due to the curation, or perhaps his work just isn’t for me.