I had the fortune of attending Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror exhibit recently, and it was truly a feast for the eyes. But it was also a feast for the mind, if you look more closely.
It goes without saying that the exhibits, of which there are several, are visually awe-inspiring. I mean, look at the header photo of this post. You don’t have to be an amazing photographer to take that shot, literally just point your camera in any direction in the mirrored room and press the shutter.
The rooms themselves are quite small – about 10 x 10 feet – but the 360-degree mirrors stretch the view to infinity. It only takes a few dozen hanging lights to make you feel like you’ve stepped into another dimension. It was one I would have liked to stay in longer – I felt like I could meditate for hours in there.
What I found equally as interesting as the rooms themselves, however, were some of the quotes and stories about Yayoi Kusama that were sprinkled throughout the exhibit. For instance, her Phallis Fields installation, pictured here, may make it seem at first glance that the artist really, really likes sex. Here’s the irony, though; she create the exhibit to help herself get over hear fear and disgust of sex, not because she loves it. What a great demonstration of courage.
Another quote I found interesting was that, despite her installations achieving worldwide attention and status, Kusama is quoted as still not feeling like she “truly made it.” This to me sums up what it means to be an artist. No matter your craft, you could spends years of your life creating, and yet still never feel like what you’ve accomplished is good enough. I often feel that way about my photography, about my karate and about my writing.
And yet, I’m ok with that, because to me the point of creating art is not to “make it” – it’s to make it. To create for the sake of creation. To enjoy the journey for the sake of the journey, and to learn something about yourself along the way.
From that perspective, I would consider myself successful, and I would expect Yayoi Kusama to feel the same.
In case you’re interested, here are a few more shots I was able to take from the exhibit:
