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Exhibition
Yayoi Kusama retrospective
7 moments on Art Journal
This retrospective at the Stedelijk Museum follows more than seven decades of Yayoi Kusama’s work, bringing together over 300 works across painting, sculpture, installation, drawing, collage, fashion and performance. What surprised me is how much bigger Kusama is than the visual language most of us immediately associate with her. Yes, there are polka dots, repetition and immersive spaces, but the exhibition goes back to her earliest work and shows where those ideas came from: nature, the body, infinity, sexuality, identity and her desire to dissolve the boundary between herself and the world around her. It also places her within the experimental art of the 1960s and her long relationship with the Stedelijk, where she began exhibiting during that decade. Seeing the work chronologically makes the dots feel less like a signature style and more like one part of a much larger, remarkably consistent artistic obsession.
How to reflect if you encounter this artwork?
- Notice how Yayoi Kusama uses repetition and patterns throughout the exhibition to create immersive experiences that challenge your perception of space.
- Consider the emotional impact of Kusama's prevalent use of dots and infinity motifs on your feelings about infinity and self-identity.
- Try to observe how the diversity of media: sculptures, paintings, installations… interact to convey Kusama's unique artistic vision and personal narrative.
- Reflect on how the immersive environments in the retrospective invite you to become part of the artwork rather than just a passive observer.
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