Yayoi Kusham's work and my experience

Yayoi Kushama's work has transcended two of the most important art movements of the second half of the twentieth century: Pop art and Minimalism. Her highly influential career spans paintings, performances, room-size presentations, outdoor sculptural installations, literary works, films, fashion, design, and interventions within existing architectural structures, which allude at once to microscopic and macroscopic universes. The dots surround and engulf you, making it hard to tell where you end and where the rest of the room begins. Usually, when we experience art, there's a clear distinction between us and the artwork. But Kusama confuses this on purpose. To experience her mirror rooms, she asks us to become part of them.

From early in her life, Kusama has experienced visual hallucinations. She recalls a childhood memory: 'One day after gazing at a pattern of red flowers on the tablecloth I looked up to see that the ceiling, the windows, and the columns seemed to be plastered with the same red floral pattern. I saw the entire room, my entire body, and the entire universe covered with red flowers'. She felt as if she was disappearing or dissolving. She describes this as 'self-obliteration' Using experiences like this in her art is a way for her to make sense of them and share them with others.

Mirrors, dots and repetition have long been important aspects of Kusama's work. This is one of her most recent sculptures, made specially for this exhibition. It recalls her first mirror installation, Kusama's Peep Show or Endless Love Show 1966.

The dots surround and engulf you, making it hard to tell where you end and where the rest of the room begins. Usually, when we experience art, there's a clear distinction between us and the artwork. But Kusama confuses this on purpose. To experience her mirror rooms, she asks us to become part of them.

Taking infulence from Yayoi's work and her facination with dots and completle immersion i wanted to combine mine technological skills with her almost Alice and wonder land like rooms where space and size slip away from you. When experiencing it myself i could feel my legs go wobbly as if i were up a really tall building. My brain had seemed to have mistaken my surrounding for something else. It was a fine line of conscious and subconscious awareness of the space around me. This really intrigued me to create something that could hopefully draw similar experiences but through a screen, a window into another world where space is not grounded to reality.

FMP

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