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Even if you are not necessarily into contemporary art, chances are you've heard the name Yayoi Kusama and maybe even seen her artworks and installations in person. Thanks to her instantly recognizable artistic aesthetic that includes massive polka-dotted pumpkins and kaleidoscopic mirrored rooms, the Japanese artist’s Instagram-worthy exhibitions have become a cultural phenomenon, admired by art insiders and the general public alike.
This year, Kusama is bringing her eclectic art to New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) for an expansive show, dubbed KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature that will explore her lifelong connection and fascination with nature (Kusama grew up spending a lot of time in her family’s nursery). The exhibition will feature the artist’s signature mirrored installations, colossal polka-dotted sculptures of flowers, and boldly-hued paintings of plants and blooms. The 90-year old artist has recently completed a few of these works so they will be on display for the first time ever.
For instance, a brand new Infinity Mirrored Room experience called Illusion Inside the Heart will respond to the changing light of the day and seasons while a 16-foot-high sculpture called Dancing Pumpkin will be displayed in a greenhouse.
Kusama’s art will completely transform the 250-acre landscape of the NYBG in the Bronx and it will be complemented by spectacular in- and outdoor flower displays through the seasons. Her plant-inspired polka-dotted sculptures will be installed together with meadow grasses, bellflowers, water lilies, and other blooms. The exhibition will also include a lot of the artist’s botanical sketches and paintings as well as film screenings, lectures, and other activities.
The KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature exhibition will be on view from May 9 through November 1, 2020. Tickets go on sale on February 26, 2020, at nybg.org/kusama (you’re going to want to add this date to your calendar since Kusama’s shows always sell out pretty fast).
