Balloon Venus
Buster Balloon, one of Twisted Balloon Company’s most popular artists, is the “balloon consultant” to superstar artist Jeff Koons (or see his wikipedia entry). Buster consulted with Koons to create his most recent sculpture, “Balloon Venus”, which is currently on display with other works at the Gagosian Gallery here in New York City from May 9 to June 29, 2013.
The sculpture is an 8-foot pink reflective stainless steel version of Buster and Jeff’s interpretation of “one of the world’s earliest known sculptures, the fecund Venus of Willendorf.” This sculpture, as well as the whole exhibit, is not to be missed. Information about the show is available on The Gagosian Gallery’s website.
Meet Buster Balloon
I recently had a chance to sit down with Buster between shows and talk about the exciting work that he has been doing with Jeff Koons to create these amazing balloon sculptures.
- How long have you been twisting balloons?
- 25 years now.
- How did you get started twisting balloons?
- I started drawing and sculpting when I was 3, and began to do magic at 5. When I was 18, I discovered balloon twisting and that became my medium. It gave me the chance to create visual art and be a ham at the same time.
- What made you go full time making balloons?
- I was waiting tables and I hated it. I also was not very good at it, and only survived because I made my guests laugh and twisted balloons for them. Then one day I thought to myself, “Someone else probably needs this job more than me.”, so I quit and started doing balloons full time.
- Was it hard for you at first to get paying gigs?
- It was very hard at first. Thankfully, I had a lot of very good friends who were already well established entertainers and balloon twisters who threw enough work my way to help me survive until I could establish myself.
- What are some of the other high profile things you have done?
- I have worked at the White House 4th of July celebration, worked on balloon manor (a giant balloon haunted house made up of over 100,000 balloons), and I had my own gallery show at HALF Gallery in Manhattan.
- Is Buster Balloon your real name?
- Yes, it is.
- How did you meet Jeff Koons to become his balloon consultant?
- Jeff Koons had already done several large steel sculptures based on basic balloon creations, but when he decided to do his Venus sculpture, he needed someone to help him design something new from scratch. His team went on a hunt to find the right balloon artist and after an extensive search, I was the one he decided to use.
- What is the job of a balloon consultant?
- When he has a new challenge for me, he or a member of his team send me details and photos of his idea (like the Venus of Willendorf) and I go to work. I send photos, they send back notes, and I send revisions until my balloon creation matches Jeff’s vision.
- What is it like to collaborate with Jeff Koons?
- I wouldn’t say it was a collaboration, Koons had a vision and I just helped make it happen.
- How many tries/hours did it take you to get the correct composition for the Balloon Venus?
- I cannot even fathom how many hours went into that design. In the end, The Venus of Willendorf balloon took two and half months and approximately 85 revisions to get it just right.
- Have you worked with Jeff doing other balloon sculptures?
- The Venus sculpture was the first project I have worked on, but we are currently working on another top secret project.
- What has been your favorite part of being involved with Jeff Koon’s visions?
- His creative process. As an artist myself, watching how Jeff brings a vision to life has been fascinating, and an amazing experience.
- Do you think that the art Jeff Koons is creating, is shedding a different light on the balloon twisting community?
- I do. Even though his steel balloon sculptures are based on simple designs, they create a link between balloon twisting and the world of fine art.
- What is it like to have one of your balloons be made permanent rather than temporary?
- It is pretty stinkin’ awesome.
- You did a show at the HALF Gallery, do you think that working with Jeff Koons will open up more doors for you to show at another gallery?
- Absolutely. My first gallery show was at HALF Gallery in Manhattan, and was a direct result of working with Jeff Koons. That led to a slew of magazine articles and other press, as well as offers to display my work abroad, and even led to me being approached by two different companies who wanted to make my original balloon designs into a line of toys. And from each of those offers and experiences, even more offers and experiences came my way. Now I feel like people in the art world, and even everyday people take my work more seriously. It has made me even more determined to present my balloon creations as art to my clients, and to the world.
