Kusama: Infinity

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

I am very fortunate that I was able to experience Yayoi Kusama’s “Love is Calling” installation at the Tampa Museum of Art twice this past fall.  It was an experience difficult to describe, yet powerful nonetheless.  Simply put, it was awe-inspiring!

Each guest has the opportunity to stand in a mirrored room filled with tentacles rapidly changing color and covered in black polka dots, but only a brief time – two minutes – is allotted.  That is an extremely short amount of time to appreciate the quirky and weird beauty that surrounds you in her infinity room.  Pondering that scenario made me realize that Kusama’s installation is a warning for us humans to wake up and realize that we have such a limited amount of time to enjoy and experience the beauty that surrounds us here on Earth.

Watching the recent documentary “Kusama: Infinity” (now on Hulu) really drives that point home.  Telling her life story complete with childhood trauma, a lifelong battle with depression, suicide attempts and the blatant effort to write her and her work out of art history (due to sexism and racism), this documentary is a compelling look at an artist determined to cover the world in dots and in love.  I can’t recommend this film enough.

For more information on how you can view “Kusama: Infinity,” please visit…

http://www.magpictures.com/kusama/watch-at-home/

For more information on “Love is Calling” at the Tampa Museum of Art, please visit…

http://tampamuseum.org/current-exhibitions/

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.