One of the great things about holidays is you get to whittle down anything left on last years To Do list. Near the top of my list was watching the Kusama-Infinity movie. Little did I know I’d be introduced to the top selling female living artist! Bet you didn’t know that either.
Thanks to Madman
You may be aware of some of Yayoi Kusama’s iconic polka dot and mirror work ,especially if you’re active on social media. After all she is the most successful living visual artist in the world. After seeing the movie I now know her exhibitions have had over 5 million museum visitors since 2013 People queue for hours to get inside. Her exhibition at the Broad Museum, Los Angeles, reportedly had 150,000 people joining the digital ticket queue in five minutes).
But what do we actually know about her?
As a child her mother used to snatch her paintings away from her, which some suggest is why she paints so fast. Growing up she fought a traumatic upbringing, but had a fierce determination to be a world-renowned artist. Rejected by her homeland she left in 1958 to conquer the world. However she arrived to find an environment where women could only show their work as part of a larger male group show.
Soon she was working alongside the likes of other influential artists such as Andy Warhol. Sadly that this close proximity to some of the leading male artists saw her ideas commandeered as their own. The use of infinity mirror rooms and soft sculptures are just two examples.
Anyone with a creative bent knows the challenge of showing your hand versus having your ideas taken on by others. It’s a perennial problem. Little wonder that Kusama sunk into a deep depression, made more than one attempt at taking her own life and battled life long mental illness.
During the 60’s Kusama’s radical public nude happenings against war saw her brand tarnish as someone who ‘lusted publicity’. As a result she was almost washed out of history, with her works not shown for two decades.
It wasn’t until much later in 1989 that one person decided to hold a Kusama Retrospective, a move that eventually saw her achieve critical and commercial success, even back in her original homeland.
The movie, filmed over more than ten years, provides numerous opportunities to watch the Kusama at work. Her slow strokes suggesting meditative qualities. No wonder she was drawn to Art Therapy when she entered a mental hospital in later life. It is unbelievable to think that her immense works are completed in the moment with no drafts, no planning. The sculptures are absolutely stunning.
Kusama is clearly a woman of true strength and resilience, who overcame countless odds to create a legacy of artwork that includes painting, sculpture, installation art, performance art, poetry, and novels.
The movie, and Kusama’s life is incredibly inspiring. It will also leave viewers frustrated at why it took so long for her to be acknowledged, and how others felt entitled to benefit from others ideas.
“I hope the power of art can make the world more peaceful.” Kusama.
For more information go to Luna Cinemas
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