originally posted on 1/29/2024
Randy Lue, Chuck Wike and Beverly Wike at Luna Luna.
Photo: Chuck Wike Collection. View full-sized image.
What do musician/entertainer Drake, the music of Miles Davis and Phillip Glass and artists such as David Hockney, Salvador Dali and Jean-Michel Basquiat have in common with amusement parks? The answer can be found in downtown Los Angeles at Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy, a spectacular showcase originally described as the first-ever art amusement park. Conceived in the 1970s by Austrian multimedia artist André Heller and staged in the summer of 1987, Luna Luna brought together more than 30 of the era’s most influential artists, musicians and writers to create a fantastical fairground using working amusement park attractions, rides and games.
Aerial view of Luna Luna at Moorweide Park, Hamburg, Germany in 1987.
Photo: Courtesy of Luna Luna, LLC. © Sabina Sarnitz. View full-sized image.
Visitors in line for Jean-Michel Basquiat’s painted Ferris wheel at Luna Luna, Hamburg, Germany in 1987.
Photo: Courtesy of Luna Luna, LLC. © The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat/licensed by Artestar, New York. © Sabina Sarnitz. View full-sized image.
The carnival-as-canvas park was installed in Hamburg, Germany, during the summer of 1987 and drew more than 240,000 visitors. Heller summarized his concept of melding modern art and an amusement park, stating, "Luna Luna is an attempt to create a traveling territory of modern art that follows the centuries old principle of the fairground, encouraging people of all ages and educational levels to engage in playful routines." Luna Luna, named for the historic Coney Island park in Brooklyn, New York, was scheduled to be shown in Belgium and eventually moved to San Diego in the early 1990s before disappearing.
Artist Kenny Scharf signs his painted swing ride.
Photo: Courtesy of Luna Luna, LLC. © Sabina Sarnitz. View full-sized image.
Kenny Scharf’s completed swing ride.
Photo: Courtesy of Luna Luna, LLC. © Sabina Sarnitz. View full-sized image.
Thirty years later, representatives from Drake’s entertainment firm, DreamCrew, discovered the story of Luna Luna and found that the installation was sealed in shipping containers in a Texas warehouse. DreamCrew purchased the amusement park rides and artwork from the Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation and began the process of restoring and relocating many of the pieces to a Los Angeles warehouse for a 2023 exhibition, Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy.
The shipping container display at Luna Luna; Forgotten Fantasy.
Photo: Chuck Wike. View full-sized image.
This indoor re-creation of the original open-air amusement park features much of the original artwork and rides. At the original site the performers rode with the public, but the current exhibition does not permit anyone to board the rides. Regardless, the exhibition is so much more than what one normally finds at an art gallery. The carousel moves, the swing ride rotates and Basquiat’s Ferris wheel turns while one hears Davis’ composition “Tutu,” just like at the original installation. The Luna Luna team has made sure to tell the story of Luna Luna, from conception to installation, from rediscovery to restoration, which continues on more of the attractions, and finally to the current relocation.
Kenny Scharf’s painted swing ride toppers.
Photo: Chuck Wike. View full-sized image.
A new exhibition catalog, Luna Luna: The Art Amusement Park (Phaidon, 2023), includes a translation of Heller’s original text and photos from the 1987 installation as well as photos showing the artists at work on their pieces. For example, artist Kenny Scharf, who in 2015 painted murals at Coney Island, is shown working on his brightly colored swing ride and signing his finished work. At the current site, the large sculptures that originally topped his swing ride can be found next to the ride. Scharf, along with Basquiat and Keith Haring, were part of the explosive 1980s art scene in New York.
The Dream Station balloon sculpture.
Photo: Chuck Wike Collection. View full-sized image.
Born out of dance clubs, performance and graffiti art, as well as punk and hip hop music culture, their work here is one reason that Luna Luna was and still is a snapshot of many of the most influential artists of an era. However, unlike a traditional art gallery, Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy is a living and breathing experience. It is still everything that an amusement park can be — exhilarating, noisy, and worth visiting because amusement parks are quite simply fun.
The author standing in front of the swing ride at the 2024 exhibit.
Photo: Chuck Wike Collection. View full-sized image.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the Luna Luna team has been in contact with European ride manufacturers to perhaps create a new, working amusement park with new artists. Until then, amusement park and art lovers will have to be content with the current exhibition. Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy continues through March 2024 in Los Angeles. For more information see the website: https://lunaluna.com.
— Chuck Wike
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