Last Friday, Jeff Koons installed a 45-foot-tall metallic ballerina in the middle of Rockefeller Center in New York and people on Instagram can't get enough of it.
This nylon sculpture, called Seated Ballerina, was inspired by a work from Koons's Antiquity series that depicts a small porcelain figurine and will be on display until June 2.
Since the inflatable sculpture was installed on May 12, it has dominated the Rockefeller Center geo-tag on Instagram and the hashtag #seatedballerina has been used more than 1,500 times in just five days.
But it's not just something pretty to look at. Co-presented by Art Production Fund and Kiehl's, Seated Ballerina seeks to raise awareness for National Missing Children's Month, as well as The International Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
"It's a pleasure to work with Kiehl's and Art Production Fund on this charitable project. This partnership will increase awareness and help the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children make the world a safer place for children," Koons said in a press release. "I hope the installation of Seated Ballerina at Rockefeller Centeroffers a sense of affirmation and excitement to the viewer to reach their potential. The aspect of reflectivity emulates life's energy; it's about contemplation and what it means to be a human being. It's a very hopeful piece."
While Seated Ballerina is Koons's first large-scale stationary inflatable in New York, his work isn't new to Rockefeller Center. His living sculpture Split-Rocker was there in 2000 and Puppy, another floral sculpture, was featured in the space back in 1992.
