There’s a bit of everything in the history of the Luna Luna amusement park. Art, tradition, enterprise, utopia…years of neglect, then redemption. It all begins in the fantastical world of amusement parks — a flight of fancy that turns carousels into adventures through the woods in the company of quirky creatures, fishing into a sign of destiny, and masks into monsters intent on eating us.
It was 1987 when André Heller, an Austrian businessman and artist, managed to unite a wide variety of museum-worthy names for a singular project. Sonia Delaunay, Salvador Dalí, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, David Hockney, Rebecca Horn, and Roy Lichtenstein were just some of the international figures involved. But how did Heller manage to rope in all these high-profile names? With a tantalizing, one-of-a-kind project for a temporary amusement park in Hamburg for 7 weeks that would then hit the road. Not works kept away in some palace, drawing only fans who can afford it, but a show that was also within the reach of children. Far from the caustic experiments a la Banksy and his Dismaland, Luna Luna was almost considered as an ode to Coney Island.
Due to the various troubles that came with a change of ownership, after its first season, all of Luna Luna's rides were stored within 44 containers in a warehouse in Texas, buried in a long hibernation until Drake and his DreamCrew arrived. After managing to acquire the entire collection, the rapper decided to return the project to the public, just as it was originally intended. Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy officially reopened its doors in Los Angeles on December 15, nearly 40 years later, with 5.5 thousand square feet of art and fun.
Making everything even more scenic and allowing for daytime visits, the park is set within a dark shed, where the colored lights of the various attractions can shine brightly. The entrance flaunts a large archway made by Sonia Delaunay, which still sports the original graphics and lights. The following path is divided into two large areas. In the first, guests are greeted by Kenny Scharf's painted swing and freestanding sculptures, David Hockney's Enchanted Tree, and Keith Haring's painted merry-go-round. Alongside these works, we can admire Manfred Deix's Palace of Winds, Arik Brauer's Carousel, and the photo archive of Sabina Sarnitz, who captured the development of Luna Luna in more than ten thousand photographs in different cities from 1987 until the end of the last century.
Guests are transported to the second space through Delaunay's archway, which opens to a grandiose view of the Ferris wheel painted by Jean-Michel Basquiat to the tune of Miles Davis. The antique wooden wheel, dating back to 1933, was painted by craftsmen in Vienna according to Basquiat's instructions and design — the only instance in which a Basquiat work was executed remotely. Other works in the space include Salvador Dalí's Dalídom pavilion, a geodesic dome with a mirrored interior that produces a hypnotic, kaleidoscopic effect, enhanced by an ambient soundtrack featuring Gregorian chants by the Blue Chip Orchestra. Directly opposite Dalídom is Roy Lichtenstein's Luna Luna pavilion, a glass labyrinth enclosed in panels designed by the artist and accompanied by the minimalist compositions of Philip Glass. Nearby, visitors will also find Daniel Spoerri's Crap Chancellery, Rebecca Horn's Love Thermometer, and André Heller's Wedding Chapel, in which, according to Luna Luna law, "guests could marry whomever or whatever they wanted."
Works by Jim Whiting, Joseph Beuys, and Monika GilSing also occupy the second space. Almost as if to explain an archaeological work, a replica of André Heller's Dream Station introduces visitors to a small added section that collects computer materials, allowing them to retrace the historical stages of this singular experience in the art world, while also understanding how the various pieces were restored. Also launched for the occasion is a small selection of merchandise and the reissue of a book detailing the story published by Phaidon.
Take a look inside the Luna Luna amusement park
Luna Luna
