My high-powered sidekick Stéphanie Crohin came along for the ride. And of course we chanced taking a few shots in these exhibition rooms, each more off-the-wall than the last.
Yayoi Kusama: nonagenarian conceptual artist
Now in her ninth decade, Yayoi Kusama is one of the contemporary Japanese artists most recognised and acclaimed around the world.
With hair as flamboyant as the giant pumpkins she installs everywhere, Kusama is the living embodiment of her art: eccentric, full of energy and dots … endless dots!
Polka dots, stripes and repetitive patterns (an obsession?) have become her trademark.
With its bright colours and immersive installations, the artist plunges visitors into a poetic atmosphere, somewhat psychedelic but deliciously crazy.
She is above all a breath of fresh art in the sometimes over-serious world of contemporary art.
Yayoi Kusama Museum
In October 2017 the artist herself opened her eponymous museum in the vibrant Shinjuku district in the heart of Tokyo. The five-floor building, designed by architecture firm Kume Sekkei, is worth a visit for its curved-wall design alone.
The museum tour involves a guided climb up stairways where the steps seem to float alongside the curved walls.
Each level of the building offers a distinct experience, from its famous infinity rooms that play with your perceptions to various temporary exhibitions and collaborative installations.
The temporary exhibitions are renewed twice a year and the permanent collections also change regularly, so each visit will be a new experience! Â
Unfortunately photographs aren’t allowed in all the exhibition spaces. But we still managed to take some pictures, especially in the room with yellow flowers – a collaborative installation where you’re given a flower to add your own contribution to the scenario.
As the number of visitors is limited (and only on reservation), it’s quite easy to enjoy the spaces and stop for a quickly improvised shoot.
Far from being an exhaustive retrospective, the museum is an eclectic collection of Kusama’s work (with works drawn from early career to latest creations).
Our visit ends on the terrace, with a gigantic flower as welcome. Nice nod to the artist’s favourite theme.
