HK Goes Dotty For Art

The Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to Now exhibition opens on November 12 to celebrate the first anniversary of M+ and will feature more than 200 works by the visionary Japanese artist hailed as the "Queen of polka dots".

 

Ms Kusama emerged as a global cultural icon for the 21st Century by pursuing her uncompromising avant-garde vision. 

 

In addition to tracing the origins of the 93-year-old artist's practice, the exhibition presents three brand-new works to bring audiences together. 

 

Life's interconnectedness

Death of Nerves (2022) is a colourful large-scale installation commissioned by M+ that provides a mesmerising extension of Ms Kusama’s Infinity Nets motifs into three-dimensional space and can be viewed from multiple vantage points throughout the M+ building.

 

It is an updated version of the sculpture Death of a Nerve (1976) and references the interconnectedness of life's synapses, which connects to the theme of infinity but also to death as a necessary process for regeneration.

 

“If the earlier work was made during one of the darkest times in the artist's life for her to cope with the deep depression she was in, this latest version explodes in scale and in colour,” M+ Deputy Curatorial Director and Chief Curator Doryun Chong said.

 

The Studio on B2 level has been filled with Ms Kusama's signature polka dots and reflective mirrors.

 

Dots Obsession—Aspiring to Heaven’s Love (2022) is an ambitious immersive environment that includes the artist’s signature mirrored spaces and polka dots as well as suspended balloons providing a kaleidoscopic perceptual experience for visitors to understand the artist's core concept of infinity and accumulation.

 

While two large sculptures titled Pumpkin (2022) at the Main Hall employ one of Ms Kusama's most well-known motifs - two large yellow pumpkins with black dots.

 

Art reinvention

Trained in traditional Japanese painting, Ms Kusama moved to the US in 1957 and soon established herself in the American and European avant-grade for her unique and radical artistic language. She returned to Japan in 1973 and has rentlessly reinvented and created art that resonates with the time in which she lives.

 

Ms Kusama has pursued art for over 70 years despite living with a mental disorder that made her feel disconnected from her body and thoughts.

 

The exhibition has six major themes: Infinity, Accumulation, Radical Connectivity, Biocosmic​, Death, and Force of Life, showcasing the artist's earliest drawings during World War II to her most recent immersive art pieces.

 

It features more than 200 paintings, installations, sculptures, drawings, collages, moving images, and archival materials to showcase the power of art, which Ms Kusama sees as a meditative and therapeutic practice to transform her struggles.

 

In the words of the artist herself: “I create art for the healing of all mankind.”

 

Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to Now will run from November 12, 2022 to May 14, 2023.

 

Standard tickets are priced at $240, while concession tickets are $150.

RECENT NEWS

Smart Tech Enhances Tree Care

The Leisure & Cultural Services Department manages around 550,000 trees across the city’s parks, playgrounds and... Read more

EMSD Embraces Smart Construction

The Electrical & Mechanical Services Department is embracing innovative construction methods and technology in its... Read more

Islanders Get Round-the-clock Care

The Hospital Authority’s (HA) seven general out-patient clinics in Hong Kong’s Islands District provide primary me... Read more

Scholarship Boosts HK Talent Pool

To strengthen education collaboration with Belt & Road countries and regions, scholarships have been offered to ou... Read more

Empowering Youth Through Training

Apart from regular lessons at school, the Civil Aid Service believes that outdoor education is essential for students ... Read more

Education Changes Lives Behind Bars

Ethics College student Alan (a pseudonym) recently attained 96 marks out of 100 in his Mathematics exam. “Never had ... Read more