Imagine those ubiquitous balloon dog sculptures available in museum gift shops everywhere being dumped by the tractor-full into pits. Then imagine a gaggle of chipmunks making those dumped sculptures their gathering spot. These are some of the scenes dreamed up by Kathy Aoki, the Lee and Seymour Graff Professor of Art and Art History, translated from her imagination onto the mega stage of Salesforce Tower in San Francisco.
It’s a critique of the suffocating commercialism of the art market played out in pop-technicolor animation circling the recognizable skyscraper housing of one of the world’s largest tech companies—a 1,070-foot building that, it should be noted, has drawn its own share of critiques on how it’s impacted San Francisco’s iconic skyline.
“All of the artwork in the animations is related to my current Koons Ruins series, which is about an imaginary estate where a fictional art collector hates the artwork of pop-kitsch artist Jeff Koons so intensely that she decided to acquire his most iconic pieces, sequester them on her estate, and subject them to accelerated degradation,” Aoki says. “When she passes away, her estate is open to the public as ‘Koons Ruins.’”
Aoki’s art was selected to be shown on the tower throughout the month of May through the Midnight Artist Series. Most nights, the Salesforce Tower displays artwork by Jim Campbell, who designed the top of the tower’s LED system. The Midnight Artist Series allows other artists to apply to have their work shown from midnight to 1 a.m. every night for one month. Aoki’s application was selected and commissioned by Campbell’s studio, White Light Inc.
It’s been a particularly exciting spring for Aoki, who, in addition to the Salesforce placement was also awarded a $50,000 Creative Capital Grant in January of this year. The prestigious grant will support further development of her Koons Ruins Atlas project, including one-on-one career coaching and professional arts services that will “take the success of my work to the next level,” Aoki says. The award culminates with an exhibition within five years.
It’s also a boon to students seeking to explore the professional art world and enhance their resumes. Aoki works often with students to develop their art skills and provides many opportunities for them to conduct visual research or assist with hands-on production and art installation.
For example, Julianna Dietrich ’24, M.S. ’26 developed a 3D model of a Koons piece that’s featured in the waterfall scene of Aoki’s five-minute animation on the Salesforce Tower. Meanwhile, Aoki says because of the multidisciplinary nature of her work—2D, 3D, digital art forms, art history research—and because of Santa Clara’s overall emphasis on interdisciplinary education, she’s able to work with a variety of students, from studio art and graphic design majors to marketing and art history majors.
Aoki’s work will run on the Salesforce Tower every night at midnight through the end of May. There is a special early night on Saturday, May 24 when the animation will run from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.