Today, it was announced that Koons will be launching an NFT project in a way that truly embodies the crypto spirit: his work is literally going to the moon. Koons have made a series of sculptures with corresponding NFTs which will land on the moon. While many art works have been sent to space, this is the first time artworks have ever been approved to land on the surface of the moon. The intention is that the sculptures remain there in perpetuity. The project is titled Moon Phases.
“I wanted to create a historically meaningful NFT project rooted in humanistic and philosophical thought,” said Koons in a press release. “Our achievements in space represent the limitless potential of humanity. Space explorations have given us a perspective of our ability to transcend worldly constraints. These ideas are central to my NFT project, which can be understood as a continuation and celebration of humanity’s aspirational accomplishments within and beyond our own planet.”
The designs of the sculptures have not yet been released. The plan is for the works to land on the moon in July.
The Moon Phases sculptures will land in the Oceanus Procellarum after being launched from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in a fully automized mission orchestrated by the private aero-space company Intuitive Machines. The project was first initiated when team members from Intuitive Machines approached Koons’s team about the possibility of getting his work on the moon back in November. “We got excited really fast,” said Marc Glimcher, President and CEO of Pace Gallery. “The rocket is already on the pad. In fact it was actually supposed to launch in March.”