WHAT: Yayoi Kusama
WHEN: Through June 5, Sunday - Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Friday - Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
WHERE: Tate Modern, Bankside, London
WHY THIS SHOW MATTERS: The Tate Modern’s galleries are exploding into an infinite expanse of illuminated dots and psychedelic worlds, thanks to Yayoi Kusama’s currently hanging major retrospective. The Japanese artist, who came to the United States in search of a more liberal environment to make art, found just that and more as she pushed forth into New York’s art scene with ambitious goals in the 1960s. Kusama’s show has been getting a great deal of worthy attention, and rightfully so as she is not only one of the most prolific artists living today, but may just have inspired some trends we’re noticing on the art markets (see Damien Hirst’s ubiquitous “Spot Paintings” for one unworthy successor). The exhibition includes a series of colorfully patterned paintings, like “Eyes of Mine” (2012), in which sets of red eyes stare intently at the viewer from a dizzyingly contrasting blue background. The neon purple environment that is “I’m Here but Nothing” (2000/2012) and the serenely mesmerizing “Infinity Mirrored Room — Filled with the Brilliance of Life” (2011) both allow museumgoers to immerse themselves in the artist's breathtaking visions brought to life. All in all, the show is an affirmation of one of the most enduring artists around, whose work has only gotten more interesting with time.
ARTINFO has compiled a virtual tour of the show for those not able to see it in person. Catch a glimpse of the Kusama’s trippy survey on view at the Tate in our slide show.