The innovative Luna Luna creative team has revived a once-forgotten art theme park within the confines of a Los Angeles production studio. This imaginative exhibition features iconic contributions such as a Ferris wheel designed by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a carousel crafted by Keith Haring, and various works by artists including David Hockney, Kenny Scharf, and more.
Originally conceived by artist André Heller, the inaugural fair unfolded in 1987 within a Hamburg park. The present-day Luna Luna, titled "Forgotten Fantasy," showcases the rides and attractions as an exhibit, incorporating interactive elements and scattered performers throughout the space. This captivating transformation now resides at the Ace Mission Studios production studio, bearing the same name as its organizing collective.
Upon entering the exhibition, guests traverse past a recreated spikey red inflatable dome by Heller, formerly a cafe space, leading into a corridor featuring the original fair on video. Subsequently, visitors move into two expansive warehouse spaces separated by an archway illuminated with the words "Luna Luna," a creation by artist Sonia Delaunay.
The first space captivates with a vibrant swing ride by Kenny Scharf, adorned with spray-painted cartoon figures, patterns, and shapes reminiscent of the artist's childhood television influences. The area also houses Keith Haring's carousel, showcasing the artist's distinctive line drawings, including a self-portrait. While the rides now operate during the exhibit, they are not accessible to visitors.
Adjacent to Scharf's creation, another carousel by artist Arik Brauer features seats adorned with fantastical creatures, inspired by the artist's mystical dreams, accompanied by a song composed and performed by Brauer's daughter, Timna.
David Hockney's Enchanted Tree, a circular pavilion with geometric trees on its exterior panels, enriches the space. The journey continues into the next room, revealing a painted Ferris wheel by Jean-Michel Basquiat, complemented by a custom music composition by Miles Davis titled Tutu. Salvador Dalí's pavilion and a glass labyrinth covered in Roy Lichtenstein-painted panels further enhance the immersive experience.
Basquiat's Ferris wheel, painted in a cream colour, bears his recurrent illustrations and writings exploring themes of race, music, and anatomy. A wedding chapel by André Heller, featuring two abstract figures holding a heart, invites visitors to marry "whatever or whomever" they please, connecting the present exhibition with the 1987 fair.
Following its triumphant debut in Germany in 1987, legal battles and subsequent storage in Texas shipping containers left the fair in obscurity. In 2022, reports emerged that Drake and his creative venture DreamCrew invested an estimated $100 million to acquire and restore the entire fair for public access. The realisation of today's Luna Luna exhibition required over a year of meticulous restoration and reassembly.