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Children played on fairground rides designed by the world’s greatest artists for a single summer before they disappeared for decades. The attractions were part of the world’s first art funfair – Luna Luna – dreamed up by little-known Austrian creative André Heller in the 1970s, featuring a carousel by Keith Haring, a Ferris wheel by Jean-Michel Basquiat and a David Hockney pavilion. Visitors could wander Roy Lichtenstein’s hall of mirrors and marvel at Salvador Dali’s fun dome, sampling biscuits decorated by artist Gertie Frölich as actors dressed as nuns and flamingos milled about. A successful attraction for months, plans for a grand European tour formed – but when they later fell through, an extensive legal battle ensued and the rides were shut down, disassembled and packed away, forgotten. Until now.
American entrepreneur Michael Goldberg stumbled across Luna Luna on an art blog. He’d never heard of it, despite some of the art world’s biggest names contributing. Neither, to his surprise, had his friends in the industry. “Everyone asked me what I was talking about,” he said. “Something seemed a little odd.” In love with the fair, Goldberg wrote to Heller, introducing himself and proposing a new iteration of the Austrian’s original dream. The two slowly built a rapport and Heller revealed that the attractions had been stored in 44 shipping containers in Austin, Texas since their disassembly.
Opening in 1987, Luna Luna was a colourful success for three months. Its run was extended twice due to high demand, but while trying to fund a European tour, Heller fell into debt and sold the fair to an American foundation. The foundation tried to back out of the deal – “buyers remorse”, according to Goldberg – but eventually went through with it. For the duration of the years-long battle and the new ownership, however, the rides were kept in storage.
Decades since Luna Luna was packed away, Goldberg rallied a team of investors to buy what might be left of the exhibition from the foundation – sight unseen. His key investor? Global rap star Drake, via his investment and entertainment business DreamCrew. “The idea of restoring something so rich in cultural history outweighed the risks and for us, it wasn’t about guarantees,” Anthony Gonzales, CEO of DreamCrew, told the BBC.
There’s one big difference between 1987’s Luna Luna and today’s: Children aren’t allowed on the rides. Basquiat’s Ferris Wheel and Kenny Scharf’s swing ride are display-only. So too (thankfully) is Manfred Deix’s Palace of the Winds in which performers originally farted into microphones. Haring biographer Gooch doesn’t think the artist would have approved of children just watching his carousel turn. “I can’t imagine he would allow it,” he said. “He was pretty insistent about interactivity of children with art, and this was art that was specifically made for them.”
Poots, who played a significant role in coordinating the interdisciplinary side of the exhibition said of the decision: “They’re priceless works of art now.” But he champions the possibility of audiences becoming “part of this moving exhibition” through the “carnival-esque environment with performance artists with light, with sound”.
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