Inside the World’s First Art Amusement Park Featuring a Keith Haring Carousel

In 1987 in Hamburg, Germany, the first ever “art amusement park” opened to the public, featuring works by legendary artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and even Salvador Dali. For three short months, families came together to experience the artistic oddities of the park — before the whimsical creations were soon forgotten. Locked away in 44 shipping containers for 36 years, the rides and pieces created for the original Luna Luna were seemingly forgotten.

Now, thanks to curation and restoration provided by Drake, fans and art aficionados are once again able to experience these one-of-a-kind works, up close and personal, at Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy in Los Angeles.

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Tucked away among industrial warehouses in downtown L.A., the park features 19 rare and pristinely restored works by many of the world’s most well-known modern artists. It is divided into two main rooms for viewing.

On the first side, there’s a painted chair ride designed by Kenny Scharf. Dozens of wacky faces and doodles stare back as the ride goes in circle. OK, yes, this is where it should be noted that you cannot ride most of the rides. But seeing them up close and in action is a ride unto itself.

Next are two carousels, also housed in the first room of the exhibit. One, designed by Arik Brauer, features absurdist and abstract characters in place of traditional horses. The “Pferdehand,” a horse/human hand hybrid, and the “Nixe,” a singing, nautical-inspired figure, are striking.

The second carousel, designed by Haring, turns out to be a favorite. Done in Haring’s traditional style, beautifully re-created as sculpture, this ride replaces the horses with Haring’s usual freewheeling doodle-like figures. There’s a long, red dog and some dancing humans. Interestingly, this work features one of the only known self-portraits done by Haring. His likeness, drawn in his style, adorns the center of the carousel.

Next, guests move to the second room — which is more interactive than the prior one — walking beneath an intricate entryway created by Sonia Delaunay. It once served as the original entrance to Luna Luna.

In the second room, visitors start by touring Salvador Dalí’s “Dalídom,” a large, purple, mirrored structure that the artist created when he was nearing the end of his life. We are allowed to go inside, which feels like a space of infinite reflections, accompanied by an ethereal score.

We next make our way to the wedding chapel. It is said that in 1987 at the original Luna Luna, artist André Heller, the creator of the amusement park, hosted a real wedding every day, where people could marry whomever, or whatever, they wanted. Our tour guide recounts instances of people marrying their dog, their bike and more. She also explains that, by the rules of Luna Luna, all one needed to do to nullify their marriage was to rip up their certificate.

Our last stop brings us a Ferris wheel designed by Basquiat. To get this out of the way, the back side of this attraction features a large monkey’s ass and asshole. But the more you look at this towering, swinging piece of art, the more there is to discover beyond that: a new detail, a new doodle, a new witty phrase or saying, such as an image of a chicken roasting on a grill or man in a dunce cap slurping spaghetti that says “pissgitti.” The song “Tutu,” by Miles Davis, accompanies this work.

Tickets ($38 regular admissions) for Luna Luna Forgotten Fantasy — brought back to life by partners including Something Special Studios’ Michael Goldberg, Anthony Gonzales, Daniel McClean and Justin Wills — are currently available at lunaluna.com.

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