Considered obsessive by some and inexhaustible by others, Yayoi Kusama is definitely relentless.
Still actively working at 88, she lives in Tokyo where she continues to create pieces that are larger than life. She is the master mind behind the polka-dot galaxies and the self-reflecting universes. In and with her work, Yayoi Kusama creates worlds that are self-contained and also Instagram friendly.
With a narrative that translates into patterns she uses various degrees of repetition that grow onto alternating and unpredictable media. Her theme is an exploration into the eternal. The cosmos as a philosophy of life.
This exhibition, first of the artist at The Broad, is organized around six Infinity Rooms -her most iconic- but it also includes pieces from her latest to her most recent work. What the Infinity Net Paintings and the Accumulation Sculptures show the Infinity Mirrored rooms manifest. With Happenings, which are from the late 60's, she demonstrates her scope.
Her works on paper offer glimpses of the artist and visuals of her subconscious that are rarely seen. These elements give them a quality of psychological intimacy. Not to imply that the mirrored rooms lack it but personally it is hard to relax when I know I'm being timed (every person gets thirty seconds in each room).
The physical space of the exhibition feels fragmented but there is continuity in the experience as a whole. Kusama sets the stage for different conversations that happen at the same time. They range from mental illness to selfies and self-love in the modern world. The titles of her latest works are not to be missed.
Kusama's work can be described and maybe even explained but it must be experienced. With the help of social media she is becoming a cult figure, the world as a witness in real time. She is changing the Instagram landscape one selfie at a time.
Yayoi Kusama reminds me of this thing that happens with yoga. People may first approach it because of the aesthetics but they end up staying because of the found sense of infinite existence.
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Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors is on view at The Broad from October 21st, 2017 to January 1st, 2018. Although all advanced tickets are sold out there is a limited number of same-day tickets available first come, first served.
Kusama's is the Broad's second special exhibition. The previous one was Cindy Sherman.
