New Hoover Convertibles, Green, Red, Brown, New Shelton Wet/Dry 10 Gallon Displaced Doubledecker 1981 - 1987

Curator: This is Jeff Koons’ "New Hoover Convertibles, Green, Red, Brown, New Shelton Wet/Dry 10 Gallon Displaced Doubledecker." Editor: It’s…sterile. Like a display in a department store, but made precious by the pristine casing. Curator: Indeed. Koons frequently elevated everyday objects to art, forcing us to consider consumerism and class. These Hoovers, for example, are not just vacuum cleaners but commodities. Editor: Absolutely. The choice of the vacuum cleaner speaks volumes. They represent aspirations of middle-class domesticity, the pursuit of cleanliness, and the labor involved. Curator: Precisely. The fluorescence is a powerful visual metaphor, representing both the promise and the artificiality of consumer culture. The machines are rendered useless as display. Editor: Makes you think about art's role in society. Does elevating something negate its purpose or highlight the socio-economic context it was already embedded in? Curator: It’s a fascinating paradox, and Koons asks us to examine the distinction between the object, its purpose, and its market value. Editor: A truly thought-provoking commentary on the intersection of art, commerce, and labor.