Yayoi Kusama: "Infinity Mirrors" in Cleveland

Detail from "Infinity Mirror Room- Phalli's Field".

I love Yayoi Kusama. Her art makes me happy. Even when for her it may be a reflection on dark subject matter. So I dragged my family to Cleveland to see her groundbreaking show once again. The Cleveland Museum of Art made the experience rather special.

CMA really is a class act. Their hosting of this show is exceptional. They made sure there would be no unhappy lines snaking around the building. They reserved some tickets to the blockbuster show to be sold once a week, and all sales are online or by phone. They have three pieces no other museum on the tour got to exhibit. When we arrived, we were greeted by "Ascension of Polka Dots", in which every tree near the entrance is wrapped in red fabric with big white dots. CMA has a huge atrium under a glass roof, so they were loaned "Where the Lights in My Heart Go", a 2016 piece that requires natural lighting. Since the atrium is also indoors, weather is not a factor. It is exhibited with "Narcissus Garden", a grouping of large stainless steel spheres.  CMA also has plenty of room for this exhibit. We found the galleries spacious and uncrowded. If you are in Cleveland, you never need to worry that visiting the museum will break the bank, because apart from occasional special exhibits, admission is free.

"Ascension of Polka Dots".

"Where the Lights in My Heart Go".

"Narcissus Garden".

"Infinity Mirrored Room-The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away".

"Infinity Mirrored Room- Love Forever" has two windows for gazing in, and a combination of mirrors and a wide range of light patterns create different optical illusions.

"Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity".

"Ennui".

"Accumulation".

"Baby Carriage".

I loved the way CMA displayed many of her small
sculptures and her small paintings together.

"No. I.Q."

Detail of "Infinity Nets".

Detail of "Accumulation of Stardust".

"Life- Repetitive Vision".

Detail from the "peep in mirror dome" of "Dots Obsession- Love Transformed Into Dots".

"Dots Obsession- Love Transformed Into Dots", mirror room inside balloon dome.

This was CMA's version of the "Obliteration Room." Each museum gets to create a room of their choosing, with whatever furnishings they want, which is then painted entirely white. Visitors are each supplied with a sticker sheet to adorn the room as they see fit. 

Can you see it? Buried within a haze of dots is a leg lamp! Cleveland is proud to have been the filming location for "A Christmas Story", in which a leg lamp is an infamous prop.