It is not clear what inspired Piero Manzoni to make a work of art out of a balloon, but in 1960 he created Breath of Artist using a red balloon. At the time Manzoni was one of the most avant-garde artists in the world and he undoubtedly had the urge to make a work with a completely new material. Manzoni sealed the mouth of the balloon with wax and displayed it mounted on a wooden stand as if it was a precious object. Then the artist took photographs of the balloon as it gradually became deflated and developed wrinkles until it finally lay flat and crumpled on the stand.
In 1966, Andy Warhol produced Silver Clouds.This work consisted of countless silver pillow-like balloons made of plastic film, which floated freely among the viewers, who could play with them. This incorporated various new concepts, such as participation of the viewer, a work that naturally decreased rather than maintained the same form forever, and the idea of art as something that could be mass-produced.
Why did these two balloon works make their appearance in 1960 and 1966 and what kind of response did they evoke? For Manzoni and Warhol, who were both searching for new materials, balloons must have seemed very fresh and attractive. On the other hand, members of the public could hardly have viewed these as substantial works of art that were worth collecting.
However, in the current world of contemporary art, works using balloons have been on the increase in recent years. Balloon works have been steadily appearing not only in Japan but also in Europe, America, Australia and Asia. I think one reason for this is convenience; inflatable works are relatively light and make it possible to cheaply produce large-scale works that can be easily transported. Particularly for young artists, this is a big advantage. But that is not all. I think it can be said that the lightness, flexibility, colourfulness and pop image that give everyone a feeling of familiarity and fondness towards balloons meet the needs of the age.
– Extract form˜Balloon Art Festival, 1999, written by Dr. Fumio Nanjo, Curator.