Monumental polka dot sculptures inspired by nature can be seen at the New York Botanical Garden: with historic creations, site-specific installations and interactive pieces, the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama narrates her vision in the exhibition “Kusama: Cosmic Nature” curated by Mika Yoshitake. On view until 31 October 2021.
Yayoi Kusama
Gigantic squashes, flowers, stems and suns enliven one of the most surprising locations in New York: at the Botanical Garden in the Bronx, the exhibition “Kusama: Cosmic Nature” is a jubilee of colors and organic forms, doused with the famous polka dots of the artist in her nineties.
Works that reinvent the natural elements through off-scale totemic sculptures, monumental and extraordinary inventions that stand out amidst the water lilies, meadows, greenhouses and halls of the Conservatory, accompanied by a notebook of sketches by the artist shown in the library.
NY Botanical Garden, My Soul Blooms Forever by Yayoi Kusama
An ode to nature, which has fascinated Kusama since childhood: she was raised in the family nursery in Japan, where her love of plants became the leitmotif of her art. “For Kusama – says the curator Mika Yoshitake – cosmic nature is a life force that integrates the terrestrial and celestial orders of the universe from both the micro- and macrocosmic perspectives. Her explorations evoke meanings that are both personal and universal. Nature is not only a central source of inspiration, but also integral to the visceral effects of Kusama’s artistic language.”
Hymn of life by Yayoi Kusama
I Want to Fly to the Universe by Yayoi Kusama
These inspirations are translated into exceptional masterworks on view at the Botanical Garden, along with site-specific installations like Dancing Pumpkin (2020), a monumental sculptures set up on the lawn of the Conservatory; I Want to Fly to the Universe (2020), four meters high, inside the Visitor Center; the interactive experience Flower Obsession (2017/2021), where visitors can dress up an entire room with flowers; and Infinity Mirrored Room-Illusion Inside the Heart (2020), reflecting nature to create a kaleidoscope of images.
NY Botanical Garden, Narcissus Garden by Yayoi Kusama
Kusama: Cosmic Nature
New York Botanical Garden, Bronx
Curator: Mika Yoshitake
Until 31 October 2021
www.nybg.org
