Awareness Post #4 - Yayoi Kusama1/20/2018 Yayoi Kusama is a contemporary artist based in Japan. She is famous for her signature dot and net motifs which manifest themselves in her paintings and sculptures. She lived in America from 1958 - 1973 where she developed her abstract career and moved in circles with icons like Andy Warhol and Allan Kaprow. Her artworks include performance-based "Happenings" which transform her motifs into an interactive experience. Her works have all kinds of meanings ranging from her fear of sex to gender roles in Japan and stereotypes in America. One of her most famous works is "Dots Obsession." Which is a series of installations of polka dot centric works that try to convey the hallucinations Kusama suffered as a child. The installations feature large, organic, inflatable shapes covered in a polka dot pattern that matches the floor and ceiling. In some installments, the walls are covered in floor to ceiling mirrors which expand the room infinitely. The works invite viewers to interact with them and audience participation is critical to the "Dots Obsession" pieces. Upon first glance of any of the "Dots Obsession" installations, I was floored. I was so confused by the meaning, but I was fascinated by the amorphous shapes as well as how the space was warped by them. I wanted to interact with the inflatables and take a walk through one of these rooms myself. It was as if all of my childhood dreams had come true. The dots are so rhythmic and reminiscent of some odd alternate universe that it immediately reminded me of Wonderland. I greatly appreciate these works, and I love staring at them. It's not that I find it aesthetically pleasing (although the rainbow color dots remind me greatly of birthday parties and funfetti which is always pleasing), but I am physically drawn to them. They are beautiful in an oddly satisfying way, and they make me think about escape from stress in favor of play. I desperately want to pursue a room size installment of interactive artwork. It sounds amazing to customize an entire room so that viewers can walk through and undergo a tangible experience with one's art. Just looking at photos of "Dots Obsession" online made me intrigued, I am positive that experiencing it in real life is even more amazing. Massive sculptural works that involve manipulating a gallery space is definitely something I will be interested in in the future.
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March 2020
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