Dakis Joannou’s Koons-decorated yacht is suddenly on Forbes’s radar, though the article gives little explanation as too why now. No matter. The unique craft painted with a version of WWI razzle-dazzle camouflage always makes good copy:
On the sides of the vessel, Koons played with the idea of pyramids, an oasis and a mirage. “If the sea were calm, then you would get a reflection, and the pattern would have a doubling effect making it even more abstract,” the artist says. Viewed from the top, a huge image of Iggy Pop performing onstage stares back. “Iggy is there as a contemporary Dionysus figure,” Koons says of the rock god as Greek god.
While the exterior is as rebellious as the Stooges’ Raw Power, the yacht’s interior takes on a completely different aesthetic. The walls and ceilings are all chillingly white, with enormous windows to maximize natural light. And much like experiencing the installations of American artist James Turrell, being inside Guilty during the day is like walking onto the set of a science fiction movie, with a central staircase that turns from pinkish violet to galactic blue and finally warm yellow.