Re-installing Koons: Part I …the drain
For the realization of the series Total Equilibrium (1985), months of chemical investigation were spent to reach the perfect balance between the elements that compose it. In a purely sculptural exercise, inside a water tank perfectly aligned with the ground—filled with a formula of sodium chloride and distilled water—basketballs float inside, some with half their circumference submerged, others completely immersed in the exact center of the tank. ― Javier Toscano
The one in our show has the basketballs completely immersed in the exact center of the tank. In order to actually maintain that equilibrium, this complex installation undergoes a refreshing process every six weeks―which takes several days to complete. First, the balls are removed and the tank gets drained. Then the distilled water/sodium chloride mixture and balls get added back into the tank in a fascinating and precise manner. Stay tuned for Part II!
Jeff Koons, Three Ball Total Equilibrium Tank (Two Spalding Shaq Attaq, One Spalding NBA Tip-Off), 1986. Part of the exhibition: Where Do We Go From Here? Selections from La Colección Jumex.
