After a dull, daunting year a burst of colourful sculptures have recently invaded New York’s botanical garden. Yayoi Kusama, 92 year old Japanese pop artist, recently opened an exhibition amidst the green, launching her project Kusama: Cosmic Nature.
Known for her infinity rooms and large obsession with the use of dots, Kusama is a globally recognized modern contemporary artist.
“My life is a dot lost among thousands of other dots.”
Yayoi Kusama
Kusama was born in Matsumoto, Japan in 1929, to a poor working family. From a young age, obsessed with her husband’s infidelity, Kusama’s mother forced her to spy on her father and his mistresses. Growing up in a toxic family environment, Kusama developed a psychiatric disorder and now suffers from recurring dreams and hallucinations of dots, violent lights and floral patterns. Despite her mother’s hatred towards the arts, she was completely consumed by her visions and used art as an escape and therapeutic tool. In the 1950s she migrated to the United States and her artstyle became heavily influenced by American Abstract Impressionism. Kusama then moved to New York in 1958 and formed part of the avant-garde scene of the 1960s, influencing the surge of pop culture and artists such as Andy Warhol through her polka dots.
In 2019 she announced alongside the New York Botanical Garden her upcoming show Cosmic Nature featuring her first ever interactive installation. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the participatory installation and exhibition were cancelled. After an eager wait, the show has finally opened up for ticket sales and will proceed with limited capacity and Covid measures.
Carrie Rebora Barrat, President of the New York Botanical Garden announced that “[they] are thrilled to present this unprecedented installation of Yayoi Kusama’s work, including new sculptures made especially for our site. In a lifetime of finding inspiration in nature and pushing against boundaries and biases, she developed a unique lexicon for artistic expression. While these works appear as mostly abstract forms to viewers, they are manifestations of how she sees the universe, specifically the natural world. We are grateful to her for sharing her vision and helping us realise this once-in-a-lifetime display at the Garden for our visitors.”
Her installations can be found all over the world and what better way to spend a leisurely spring afternoon than strolling through a park and admiring the artwork? Although those of us who live in Europe will most likely be unable to attend such events or travel, it is comforting to know that the world is slowly going back to normal and we will soon be able to resume our lives and enjoy the wonders of Cosmic Nature.
Bibliography:
Heinrich, Will. “Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Cosmic Nature’ Dots a Bronx Garden.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Apr. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/09/arts/design/yayoi-kusama-botanical-garden-review.html.