One is not entirely wrong if one places Jeff Koons in the vicinity of those artists whose work is primarily concerned with criticism of modern consumption. For this reason alone, the current project of the Andy Warhol adept seems somewhat strange. The project is titled "Jeff Koons: Moon Phases" and in a certain way also bears the signature of Pace Gallery, to which the star artist moved last year and which, as is well known, sees opportunities for itself in the NFT market.

What's it about? Koons will soon present his first NFT collection. He will be supported by Pace Verso, Pace Gallery's Web3 platform. It's a move that documents that Koons doesn't want to miss out on any hype that will bring him prestige and a little money. But that's not all. Each digital token is to correspond to a sculpture to be put on the moon - later this year. The background is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 17 mission.

Koons explained that he wanted to "create a historically meaningful NFT project," one rooted in "humanistic and philosophical thought." After all, achievements in space represent the "limitless potential of humanity."

Jeff Koons and Jeff Bezos: Brothers in Spirit?

No one knows yet what the artwork should look like. On the moon, a stainless steel bunny would clearly look like a communication from an extraterrestrial intelligence. One can only hope that later generations in perhaps 200 or 300 years, who no longer know the name Jeff Koons, will confuse the bunny with it. The project is also somewhat reminiscent of Jeff Bezos' private space trip last year. A milestone in space travel? Or just a gigantic ego trip? And is it all worth it in the end? This is the question that everyone who followed the PR spectacle surrounding Bezos' flight is probably asking - especially in times when people on Earth are struggling with climate change and natural disasters. The answer probably depends on how much you believe in the future - and how much you believe that innovations from science fiction are a blueprint for the future. 

What is known about the moon project, however, is which companies are still involved in the project. One is NFMoon, a company that deals with digital art and technology and was founded by Chantelle Baier and investor Patrick Colangelo. Also on board: 4Spaces, the first space company in the hands of women. 4Spaces also worked on the development of the Nova-C lunar module, among other things.