Resurrected avant-garde art carnival Luna Luna opens this month at The Shed at Hudson Yards
Kenny Scharf’s painted swings at Luna Luna in Los Angeles. Credit: Joshua White/Luna Luna, LLC
Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy, the world’s first art amusement park, is coming to The Shed at Hudson Yards this month. Lost to time since its debut in Hamburg, Germany in 1987, the avant-garde art carnival is being recreated to dazzle, delight, and perplex 21st-century visitors in New York City after a spectacular resurrection in Los Angeles earlier this year. You’ll be able to experience the original colorful, surreal riot of carnival rides and immersive attractions created by iconic 20th-century art stars like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, David Hockney, Salvador Dalí, Roy Lichtenstein, and more.
The original Luna Luna art carnival was born in 1987 in Hamburg, Germany, as the creation of Austrian artist/singer/activist and avant-garde darling André Heller. Heller’s vision: a completely unique art amusement park, with a mix of top contemporary artists that would embody his philosophy of art as transcending gallery walls and the limiting dimensions of paper, plaster, and performance.
Heller brought together 33 leading art stars, led in part by American artist Kenny Scharf, who was an enthusiastic convert to the idea of art-as-amusement-park.
Due to bad luck and red tape, instead of embarking on its planned worldwide tour, the carnival closed after only three months, and the “world’s first art carnival” became part of creative lore, packed up into metal shipping containers and stashed unceremoniously for 40 years in a deserted corner of Texas.
In 2023, Luna Luna was miraculously reborn in a 50,000-square-foot warehouse studio in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles courtesy of rapper Drake’s entertainment company, Dream Crew, who took on the task of re-introducing the creative carnival to the 21st-century art world.
The event in what the New York Times called “a Wonka-esque factory with some start-up vibes,” included a Ferris wheel by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a carousel by Keith Haring, a wave swinger by Kenny Scharf, immersive pavilions by David Hockney and Salvador Dalí, and a glass labyrinth by Roy Lichtenstein with music by Philip Glass among many others, brought in over 150,000 visitors.
There may never be a better time for an art-scene shakeup, and Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy will arrive in New York City at The Shed, beginning on November 20.
“You can be art-obsessed or have never heard of Basquiat, and Luna Luna will put a smile on your face,” Michael Goldberg, Chief Experience Officer for Luna Luna and founder of Something Special Studios, said in a statement.
“It’s one of those rare projects that has the power to bring together all walks of life—it’s a nostalgic format done in a totally new way.”
The New York experience will include the aforementioned rides and attractions, with more to be announced. Archival materials will provide context by highlighting the dedicated restoration process.
But as it often is in the art realm, the starring role will go to the original creators’ vision, embodied by the enchanting–if sometimes unexplainable–atmosphere encountered at every turn. Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy opens to the public on Wednesday, November 20 at The Shed at 545 West 30th Street.
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