Hunter Jonakin's 2011 video game Jeff Koons Must Die!!! featured in Berlin's KW Institute exhibition

Hunter Jonakin's 2011 video game Jeff Koons Must Die!!! appears in the Fire and Forget: On Violence exhibition at Berlin's KW Institute, running until 30 August. The interactive work requires a 25-cent payment to play on a fabricated 1980s-style arcade cabinet. Set during a Jeff Koons retrospective in a large museum, players assume a first-person perspective and use a rocket launcher to destroy artworks. Success triggers confrontations with Koons himself, who deploys guards, curators, lawyers, and assistants in overwhelming waves, ultimately annihilating the player. The game's fictional violence contrasts with Koons's actual major retrospective, which was previously shown at the Whitney Museum and Centre Pompidou and is currently at the Guggenheim Bilbao through 27 September. Players are cautioned against reenacting the game's destructive actions at these real-world venues. The exhibition explores themes of violence through contemporary art, with Jonakin's work offering a satirical critique of art world institutions and celebrity. The arcade format engages visitors directly, blending nostalgia with provocative commentary on artistic value and institutional power.