The new JEFF KOONS collection, releasing on Sunday 21st November 2021, will fund two social organizations: ICMEC, and a skatepark construction project in Mazunte, Mexico. > SHOP JEFF KOONS COLLECTION An iconic collection American artist, JEFF KOONS, whose work examines popular culture often in the form of paintings and sculptures that transform everyday objects into works of art that engage the viewer, is perhaps most recognized for his balloon animals produced in stainless steel with reflective mirror-finish surfaces. Born in York, Pennsylvania in 1955; KOONS’s work has been shown in major galleries and institutions throughout the world. Today, in his first collaboration with THE SKATEROOM, Jeff KOONS introduces Balloon Venus Skateboard, 2021 & Popeye Skateboard, 2021. The collection, which features 500 numbered editions of each, is released under THE SKATEROOM’s socially engaged business model in which 10% of all revenue is gifted to social projects empowering and educating children around the world.

“I wanted to have the boards be unique. They’re of this moment. We’re celebrating the exhibition that is taking place in Doha, Qatar, and these works will be in that exhibition. The Popeye Skateboard uses a reflective foil in the piece. Balloon Venus Skateboard has a visual reflection within the image itself. All these aspects are important to my work and I have continued to try to define why I work with reflection and how important I believe it is that we are able to feel the confidence within ourselves – to accept ourselves – and to be open to the external world." – JEFF KOONS

‘Jeff Koons: Lost in America’ The collection comes in concurrence with JEFF KOONS’s premiere exhibition in the Gulf region, as part of the Qatar-United States 2021 Year of Culture. Organized by Qatar Museums, the exhibition, Jeff Koons: Lost in America, is on view from 21 November 2021 through 31st March 2022, and will include the two artworks featured on the skateboards. This is the first time an artist collaborating with THE SKATEROOM has created a title for their skateboard that is not the same as the original artwork. Empowering youth: ICMEC & Mazunte Sk8 The collection, released under THE SKATEROOM’s socially engaged business model, will generate funds for two social organizations: ICMEC (International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children) and MazunteSk8, a project to build a skatepark for youth in Oaxaca, Mexico. KOONS, who became a board member at ICMEC in 2002, and in 2007 co-founded The Koons Family Institute on International Law & Policy as the organization’s research arm, has a deeply personal connection to the causes his collection will fund.

Photo credit: Fabrice COFFRINI

“Today, an organization like the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children is there to effectively find lost and abducted children and help reunite families, which wasn’t the case years ago. There are all forms of abduction, and ICMEC has created partnerships throughout the world to deal with these issues; they are available to help families and help make the ending of these stories be as positive as possible.” – JEFF KOONS

The second social project, MazunteSk8 involves developing a public skatepark by THE SKATEROOM’s partner Wonders Around the World. This free, world-class, facility for local youth creates opportunities for inclusion of differing demographics, mentorship of old to young, and the physical benefits of skateboarding. The skatepark will be located in a beach town on the Pacific Coast in Oaxaca, Mexico, widely inhabited by indigenous communities.

“THE SKATEROOM’s support for this Oaxaca project is fantastic. It will give the children a sense of self-accomplishment. I’ve seen that skateboarding gives kids an opportunity to hang out together, to learn, and to feel part of something.” – JEFF KOONS

Changing consumption, creating change This inaugural collection by JEFF KOONS for THE SKATEROOM gives collectors the power to create real change in the lives of vulnerable young people.

This limited collection, released on Sunday 21st November 2021, will be available for purchase at theskateroom.com, as well at the Qatar Museums exhibition in Doha and inq-online.com. Each edition is uniquely numbered, 1 to 500.

> SHOP JEFF KOONS COLLECTION