Infinity Mirrors, Yayoi Kusama, High Museum of Art Atlanta GA, 2018
Variety of large scaled acrylic on canvas pictured
Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors was an experience to say the least. I stood in line for three hours for these damned tickets, and I couldn’t even enjoy the experience like I wanted. That’s one of the cons of living in a big city, things can become super trendy super fast. Now don’t get me wrong my heart is in art and education, and I love to see the immersive behavior that is taking place in art and in our communities right now, but as Papa would say “Hype beast we know bout cha”.
What was amongst the crowded High to enjoy were spotted abstract sculptures, repetitious patterned paintings, and some psychedelic trippy light and mirror experiences. The 90 year old Japanese artist has lived a 65 year fulfilling career of creative protest, polka dot paintings, and penis sculptures. Yes penises. The photo featured here was a collection of some of her large scale paintings at the entrance of the exhibit. Painting is one of my favorite mediums to practice and I absolutely love polka dots so Yayoi’s works resonated with me closely.
The chaos was outside of each “Infinity Room” which were small shed-like structures built out inside the museum. With an attendant outside directing traffic, stop watch in hand, museum goers were given an option of groups of twos or threes to enter each room for 30 seconds. One room in particular I could appreciate the sacredness of. Yayoi had a personal attachment to pumpkins, as she titled this work/room “All the eternal love I have for the Pumpkins”. These acrylic pumpkins, lit with LED lighting placed upon black glass and mirrors was a sight to see. This was the only room experience that photography was not aloud on the inside. After a Hirrshorn Museum goer in Washington DC dropped a phone and shattered a pumpkin in spring of 2018, viewers were no longer aloud to take phones inside.
The reflective dotted figures in most Kusama’s works lets you into her world of art, and how she displays them is so relevant to the technological and social conversations in contemporary art today. I personally think its pretty amazing that this post Vietnam war immigrant was brave enough to move to America in the fifties and pursue her art career in New York City, and thrive for decades. Yayoi, the Princess of Polka dots, your inspiration is '“Infinite”, we appreciate you.