Koons has always vehemently maintained that there are no hidden meanings in his work. Despite this, Koons once described his balloon dog sculptures as a ‘symbol of us’. He claimed that the way the balloon dog references the act of inhaling and exhaling is deeply symbolic of the human condition. He also compared inflatable animals to the Trojan horse – perceived as empty and yet full of symbolism. It “has this interior energy…it’s having a dialogue with interior life and exterior life.”