"We all strive for connection and meaning" : Justine Koons on Inspiration and Creation - Interview by Noah Becker

Justine Koons in her studio, 2025. Photo Credit: Frances Janisch

By NOAH BECKER March 8, 2025

Justine Koons has finally stepped into the spotlight with her exhibition at New York City's Salon 94 entitled "MYTH", until March 29th. Whitehot Magazine's artist/publisher Noah Becker caught up with Justine for the following conversation about her exhibition and creative ideas...

Noah Becker: How has your journey as a studio assistant influenced your own artistic practice, and how did your work evolve after stepping away to focus on family life?

Justine Koons: Even though I was a painter I found joy in making sculptural work at Jeff’s studio and was good at seeing and creating form. After having kids I found the 92nd Street Y’s jewelry and ceramic classes. There I could focus on making one day a week a focused work day without committing to a studio. The rest of the time I’d be working at home whenever I could find a moment.

NB: Your gallery debut has been a long time in the making. Can you describe the evolution of your practice and what led you to share your work now?

JK: I went back to a studio practice a few years ago with daily work habits and just really focused on ideas and things that were interesting to me. I was finding connections between the works that spoke to each other in a coherent way, which I thought could transcend my own experience and appeal to other people’s emotions too. I’ve always loved Jeanne’s gallery, Salon 94, it’s always felt like home. Jeanne took a chance on me after seeing some of my work.

Installation view, Justine Koons, MYTH, 2025 Courtesy of the artist and Salon 94 © Justine KoonsPhoto Credit: Elisabeth Bernstein
 

NB: You’ve spoken about the “personal archaeology” of your work. Do you see mythmaking—both personal and cultural—playing a role in your art?

JK: Personal archeology is about searching for meaning within, rediscovering the self. Myths are stories that are told to make sense of the world around us. My work is the intersection of rediscovery and myth making.

NB: Your sculptures, like Cake (2024), explore the balance between interior life and public projection. How does that duality inform your creative process?

JK: We show up differently to different occasions - privately we are different people from our public personas and public perception is very disconnected  from the reality of life. In a work like Veil the fabric symbolized these personas that can be donned or shed at will. In the Cake series, the cakes are like giant thought bubbles making private thoughts public. 

Justine Koons, Cake, 2024, Glazed stoneware 23 1/2 x 15 x 10 in 59.7 x 38.1 x 25.4 cm

NB: You’ve spent years curating, observing, and making art in private. How has that private practice shaped your perspective on the art world?

JK: I love the art world. We have so many friends who have been extraordinarily supportive and generous. When you work in private you’re allowed to make a lot of mistakes and experiment in ways that seem less vulnerable. I was able to make work that is interesting to me, and with a little nudging I was ready to take a step out of the shadows. The art world has been very accepting.

NB: Your work incorporates elements of domestic life—objects, toys, cakes—often seen as ephemeral or sentimental. What draws you to these forms, and how do you see them operating in a fine art context?

JK: I’ve always thought that objects are just stand-ins for people. The objects and symbols we choose to surround ourselves with, represent how we want to be perceived by the outside world and is how that world reflects us back to ourselves.  

Domesticity and ephemera is something that has been represented in art forever. Whether it’s cave paintings, Vanitas paintings, or readymades, these objects have a place in art. Enlightenment can be found in every day objects.

Justine Koons, Leda (Supine), 2024-2025 Glazed stoneware, oil paint, acrylic, and clear coat 17 3/4 x 31 x 17 1/4 in 45.1 x 78.7 x 43.8 cm

NB: How do you navigate the tension between being both muse and artist, inspiration and creator?

JK: Jeff and I have a great family life, there’s nothing more important.  The kids keep you very real, there’s not much time to ruminate on being muse or inspiration when everyone needs a piece of you. Creating is the only way for me to save a piece of me for myself.

NB: Your art seems to embrace both playfulness and rigor. Can you talk about the role of humor, nostalgia, or even kitsch in your work?

JK: Some of my work is tongue in cheek and tries to make sense of the world in a way that embraces the duality of meaning and experience. Humor is a bit of a welcome pressure release from seriousness. I like to think of my works connecting on a spiritual level, as you journey towards self re-discovery and nostalgia feeds into this a bit, searching for something that may have been lost.

Justine Koons, Torso (Pompeii), 2024 Glazed stoneware, and vinyl paint 19 x 12 x 10 in 48.3 x 30.5 x 25.4 cm
 

NB: Many artists wrestle with the idea of ‘permission’—to create, to take up space, to define themselves. Has that been a consideration in your journey, and if so, how have you approached it?

JK: I struggled to call myself an artist for a long time, because I didn’t meet the criteria I had established for myself. It took me a long time to be kind to myself and accept that what I spend my energy on is worthwhile and that it doesn’t need anyone else’s permission or a label to be real.

NB: Your practice exists at the intersection of sculpture, storytelling, and personal history. Do you see your work as autobiographical, or is it more about collective memory?

JK: I draw inspiration from many sources and experiences that tap into a collective memory; we aren’t that different from each other. Everyone has their own experience, but as a species we all strive for connection and meaning. Humanity has been connected through visual imagery which spans millennia and is something we have in common. We like to look and be seen.

Justine Koons, Minotaur, 2024 Glazed stoneware, lacquer paint 17 1/4 x 12 3/4 x 9 3/4 in 43.8 x 32.4 x 24.8 cm

NB: Thanks for joining us today Justine. One more question. You’ve chosen to step into the public art sphere now, after years of working privately. What do you hope audiences will take away from your work, and how do you see your artistic voice evolving from here?

JK: I hope people can find meaning and feel a connection to my work that resonates with their own lives. 

I’ve been back working in the studio, which is a little empty since the show at Jeanne’s started, and I can’t wait to fill it up with new work. WM