Jeff Koons 1986

Curator: This photographic portrait, entitled "Jeff Koons," was taken by David Robbins in 1986. Editor: It's strikingly conventional, isn’t it? Clean, almost bland in its composition. The limited grayscale flattens the planes of his face. What is that telling us? Curator: It’s mimicking publicity headshots. Robbins aimed to tap into the manufactured celebrity culture of the '80s. This image is part of a larger series of portraits, all staged as if they were destined for mass consumption, for creating a persona within a system. Editor: So the apparent banality is intentional. It pushes against any spontaneous or natural reading of “Jeff Koons” as a specific individual, but offers a reading of him as a brand, a reproducible commodity in the art market, by focusing on this specific staged moment, what is included, what is left out and how light reflects over it? Curator: Precisely. It anticipates Koons’ own later engagement with celebrity and the commodification of art. Robbins questions how images are used to construct identity and value. The labor of image creation, the styling, the lighting, all contribute to this. Editor: I'm intrigued by the simplicity. The symmetry creates a sense of familiarity, as well as detachment. Is that the artist presenting us with himself or a character, a symbol for late-stage capital? Curator: That ambiguity is central. By using photography, a medium closely tied to notions of realism, Robbins subverts the idea of authenticity. Who are we really seeing, and how much of this image is carefully constructed? It forces us to confront how photographic processes become entwined with artifice. Editor: It certainly provokes questions. Thanks to its strategic use of grayscale and focus on carefully managed artifice, it avoids any hint of the personal, leaving me to see Koons’ almost like a sign or product that prompts further thought and engagement. Curator: Yes, David Robbins delivers a sharp statement about image construction and commodification, even presciently anticipating the role social media would play in such constructions.