A SPECTACULAR SHOWCASE OF THE WORLD’S FIRST ART AMUSEMENT PARK,
LOST SINCE 1987
Los Angeles, CA — Today, Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy—a spectacular showcase of the world’s first art amusement park—opens its doors to the public in Los Angeles. Welcoming all ages through Spring 2024, limited tickets are on-sale now at lunaluna.com.
Guests of Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy will witness, for the first time since 1987, the fantastical fairground that appeared in Hamburg, Germany for only seven weeks. Housed in a warehouse complex located on the Eastside of Los Angeles, the exhibition spans 60,000-square-feet and features one-of-a-kind rides and interactive installations by 15 world-renowned artists, including Sonia Delaunay, Salvador Dalí, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, David Hockney, Rebecca Horn, and Roy Lichtenstein.
Passing by a recreation of André Heller’s inflatable Dream Station, guests enter through a midnight blue corridor and are welcomed by a fast-moving video that introduces the original Luna Luna.
The exhibition is divided into two rooms and connected by Sonia Delaunay’s monumental entrance archway with the original Luna Luna sign—and lightbulbs.
Entering the first space, guests are greeted by Kenny Scharf’s painted chair swing ride and freestanding sculptures, David Hockney’s Enchanted Tree and Keith Haring’s painted carousel and industrially fabricated tarps. Alongside these works is Manfred Deix’s Palace of the Winds, Arik Brauer’s Carousel and photo archives by Sabina Sarnitz, who captured Luna Luna’s development in more than ten thousand photographs across multiple cities from 1986 through the park’s opening in 1987.
Guests are transported to the second space through Delaunay’s archway, opening to a grand view of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s painted Ferris wheel, with music by legendary musician Miles Davis. The antique wooden wheel, which dates to 1933, was painted by artisans in Vienna in accordance with Basquiat’s instruction and design—the only instance in which a Basquiat work was executed remotely.
Other works in the space include Salvador Dalí’s Dalídom pavilion, a geodesic dome with a mirrored interior that produces a mesmerizing, kaleidoscopic infinity effect, enhanced by an ambient soundtrack with Gregorian chants by Blue Chip Orchestra. Directly opposite Dalídom is Roy Lichtenstein’s Luna Luna Pavilion, a glass labyrinth encased in Lichtenstein-designed panels with a soundtrack by the Minimalist composer Philip Glass.
Nearby are Daniel Spoerri’s Crap Chancellery, Rebecca Horn’s Love Thermometer and André Heller’s Wedding Chapel, in which, according to Luna Luna’s imaginative law, “anyone and everyone can marry what and whom they want.”
Works by Jim Whiting, Joseph Beuys and Monika GilSing also fill the second space. Here, guests are presented with a timeline—part mood board, part cultural history; a short documentary on Luna Luna, commissioned by André Heller; and videos that showcase the process of reassembling Luna Luna for today.
Last but not least, the Luna Luna Shop offers a curated selection of new and archival Luna Luna merchandise and memorabilia—some exclusive to the Los Angeles exhibition and many also available online at lunaluna.com.
LUNA LUNA: FORGOTTEN FANTASY
Open Friday, December 15, 2023 through Spring 2024
1601 E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90023
For more information and tickets, visit lunaluna.com
General Admission tickets start at $38 USD for adults and $20 for kids. Limited entry to David Hockney’s Enchanted Tree and Salvador Dalí’s Dalídom will be available via a Moon Pass upgrade package that includes parking, non-timed entry and more.
HOURS
Wednesday: 12pm – 8pm
Thursday: 12pm – 10pm
Friday: 12pm – 10pm
Saturday: 10am – 10pm
Sunday: 10am – 6pm
Monday & Tuesday: Closed
