Koons Ruins Atlas depicts the imagined destruction of Jeff Koons’ sculptures on an overgrown estate via large-scale works and a corresponding, animated map. The project documents the sprawling grounds and personal history of fictional art collector Dorothea James, whose hatred for Jeff Koons’ works compels her to destroy them. She acquires his most iconic pieces, sequesters them on her land, and subjects them to accelerated degradation by chemical and mechanical means. After her death, the property is opened to the public as “Koons Ruins.”

Presented as historically true and relevant, the Koons Ruins Atlas project combines depictions of eroded artwork, didactic wall labels, and irreverent animations to satirize the absurdities of the global art market. Each immersive scene (~8ft x 12 ft) depicts an overgrown landscape that includes at least one Koons piece in a state of extreme dereliction. Through digital and analog mark-making, the overall aesthetic will resemble traditional intaglio printmaking. Presented as primary historical sources, the scenes were supposedly commissioned by the collector and are accompanied by didactic wall panels with dry, authoritative language. Displayed centrally on a large table top, the five-foot square illustrated map marks the scene locations with labels, such as “Submerged Tulips” or “Rusty Venus.” When a viewer clicks a button, a projector activates the map surface with a video animation of an “historical” moment related to that scene.