Exclusive vinyl pool float featuring design elements of artist's one-of-a-kind giant inflatable pool exhibition in the middle of the Nevada desert. Comes deflated in original bag. Only offered in-person at event.
Dimensions: 35 x 35 inches (inflated)
Medium: White and pink vinyl pool float exclusive only to attendees of artist's Public Pool event in the Nevada desert.
Edition: Limited Edition of unknown quantity
Year: 2024
Condition: New
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
"Cj Hendry is making fans blink twice again. Last weekend, the Instagram sensation unveiled her latest spectacle: a 50-foot long inflatable pool ringed with chaise lounges, a real life mirage situated in the Sandy Valley Ranch an hour outside of Las Vegas. The installation, titled Public Pool, elaborated on Hendry’s previous works, like the adult Chuck E. Cheese she built in Brooklyn last year. To commemorate her latest effort, Hendry dropped a capsule collection of merch and art that’s now entirely sold out on her site.
Hendry told PRINT that Public Pool arose from a desire to spark connection and wonder in visitors’ hearts. “I really wanted to play up the juxtaposition of a desert against a gigantic pool to capture and provoke a strong sense of an oasis and the kitsch vibes of Vegas,” Hendry added over email. A lone highway sign alerted attendees that they were 10 miles out from Public Pool, with one single flower beneath. “There’s nothing for miles but sand, tumbleweeds, and mountains, but then you see this colossal pool with bright floral floaties and umbrellas and think, ‘what is happening here? And, can I jump in?’”
The answer was yes. Public Pool was only three feet deep, so kids and adults could take a dip amongst the colorful pool toys without lifeguard supervision. In addition to procuring porta potties, Hendry also hired a water company to irrigate her oasis. It took numerous trips across the desert to fill Public Pool. Throughout the installation’s three-day run earlier this month, its water grew less azure and more murky, adding a time-based element to the artwork. But before that, on April 4, guests gathered around a long white table crowned with oversized pool toys for a private dinner.
Now, Hendry’s working with the Ranch to recycle the water from Public Pool into their farming and agriculture activities. She also plans to have the pool repurposed into furniture, leaving no trace, like it was all just a dream."
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ABOUT THE ARTIST
Australian artist CJ Hendry began making art as a hobby, but found success on Instagram and left university to pursue an art career. In 2014, she made her first sale with a depiction of a pair of boots made by Australian footwear company R.M. Williams that sold for $10,000. Since then, her compositions have reportedly earned her millions. Initially, Hendry created large-scale, hyperrealistic ink drawings of luxury objects —always in black and white —with each piece taking up to 200 hours to complete. She later pivoted to creating photorealistic drawings of subjects like disco balls and a $100 bill with Kanye West’s face emblazoned across it —which the pop icon bought from the artist. In a 2017 collaboration with fashion house Christian Louboutin, Hendry expanded her practice to include color, rendering hyperreal globs of vivid paint using colored pencils.
