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Retrospective Celebrates Yayoi Kusama’s Artistic Journey at National Gallery of Victoria

For over 80 years, the renowned Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has captivated audiences with her striking polka-dotted sculptures and immersive installations known as “infinity mirror rooms.” A new exhibition in Australia explores her remarkable legacy, showcasing approximately 200 of her creations in a comprehensive retrospective titled “Yayoi Kusama” at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. This exhibition is believed to be one of the world’s largest dedicated to Kusama’s work, according to Art Newspaper.

A notable inclusion in the exhibit is the newly unveiled piece Infinity Mirrored Room—My Heart is Filled to the Brim With Sparkling Light. Created in Kusama’s distinctive style, the installation features mirrored spheres adorned with tiny holes from which vibrant light emerges in hues of blue, purple, red, and green. Kusama dedicated this artwork “to the people of Melbourne,” expressing her desire for her creations to convey “a message of love to the world.” In her words, “It is love that illuminates our lives and makes life beautiful,” highlighting her aspiration for peace and love through her art.

Kusama’s journey into infinity began in 1965 when she crafted her first infinity mirror room, as documented by the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. This innovative form combines mirrors with light, producing intricate reflections that mesmerize viewers.

The exhibition does more than celebrate contemporary pieces; it traces Kusama’s profound history with art, incorporating nearly 200 works spanning her entire career, including childhood creations from the 1930s. Curators have meticulously assembled photographs, sketches, letters, and archival materials to illustrate her extensive and varied artistic journey. Wayne Crothers, the senior curator of Asian art at the gallery, emphasizes that Kusama’s evolution did not happen overnight but rather is the result of an eight-and-a-half-decade-long dedication to her craft.

Highlighted pieces within the exhibition include the 16-foot-tall bronze Dancing Pumpkin (2020), recently acquired by the museum, and a contemporary version of Narcissus Garden (1966/2024), which invites visitors to engage with an installation of 1,400 stainless steel spheres. The gallery is currently fundraising to acquire this impressive work, as noted by Art Newspaper.

Other installations like The Hope of the Polka Dots Buried in Infinity Will Eternally Cover the Universe (2019) provide an immersive experience for attendees, featuring towering structures that exude her trademark polka dots. Outside of the gallery, Kusama’s Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees decorates 60 trees along the road in vibrant custom fabric, merging art with the natural landscape.

The exhibition is described as “profoundly moving” by art historian Sasha Grishin from the Australian National University, who notes that beneath the vivid exterior of Kusama’s work lies a deep resonance with her personal struggles, echoing themes of pain and identity loss amidst the infinite repetition of her imagery.

For those interested in experiencing the boundary-pushing creativity of Kusama, the exhibition “Yayoi Kusama” will be on display at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne until April 21, 2025.

Source
www.smithsonianmag.com