MADE YOU LOOK
In November 2013, Jeff Koons broke the record for the highest-selling work by a living artist when his Balloon Dog (Orange) went for US$58.4 million at auction. Last year he did it again with Rabbit at $91.1 million. His sculptures have been notorious ‘tycoon trophies’ since the ‘90s, and his balloon dogs are studded throughout personal and public collections around the world.
But the last ‘Koons’ you saw probably wasn’t one.
If the shiny dog was squatting down to leave a little (balloon) parcel behind it, you were looking at POPek, baby of Polish-born London-based artist Sebastian Burdon—AKA, Whatshisname. Burdon’s creations aim to poke fun at everything from Koons to the gallery bubble to culture in general, to disconcert and delight the viewer. He calls it ‘joyful pop art’.
Burdon renders POPek in several poses, each released in limited editions of varying sizes, materials and colours. His growing family of Balloon Dogs, which he’s christened POPIKI, now includes PEEPek (complete with polyresin puddle) and HUMPek (two dogs, well, humping). And he’s not just after the art world: last year’s ‘Brexit Balloon Dogs’ got busy on a plinth asking ‘Who humps whom?’
Collectors can buy Burdon’s work as both prints and fibreglass sculptures, and for a lot less than US$58.4 million.
PACK OF DOGS
Have you ever imagined Amy Winehouse or Nick Cave as a Chihuahua, Neil Young as a Vizsla, or PJ Harvey as an Afghan hound? That’s exactly what San Francisco-based artist Michael Gillette has done through his unique illustration project, blending beloved, iconic music legends, both past and present, with their dog counterparts. Pack of Dogs, our first foray into book publishing, is a celebration of pup and pop culture for music and dog lovers alike.
August 25, 2020
WHEN DOGS HEAL
Jesse Freidin’s poignant stories about the transformative power of dogs’ unconditional love.
May 1, 2021
RESCUE ME
In his ongoing photo essay, photographer Shayan Asgharnia captures moments shared between the men and their dogs at California City Correctional Facility with a raw and beautiful intensity.
April 9, 2021
OUTFOXED
MiaCara’s new boredom-banishing toy, Volpe, takes licking into stylish new territory.
April 1, 2021
MAGNUM DOGS
Magnum photographers are a rare breed. It’s not so surprising that a dig through their extensive archives unearths a notable presence of dogs.
March 25, 2021
CROWDED HOUNDS
Holly Frean, hundreds of dogs, and the artist’s talent to make them sing.
March 18, 2021
SIDE BY SIDE
Illustrator Kim Hye-rim captures people and their pets in life’s quiet moments.
March 12, 2021
HARSH REALITY
Photographer Ragnar Axelsson documents the icy future of Greenland’s hardest working professionals.
March 4, 2021
LIFE IMITATES ART
February 25, 2021
RIDING SOLO
With his series Alone, photographer Robert Bahou stokes our philosophical side.
February 17, 2021
