Exploring the meaning behind each dot from now till 3 September.
From 9 June to 3 September 2017, Life Is The Heart Of A Rainbow by Yayoi Kusama is finally here! The exhibition will be featured at National Gallery Singapore and is the first major survey of her over 120 works held here in Southeast Asia.
The Woman Behind The Dots.
Yayoi Kusama is the woman behind the dots who hopes that her art will be able to bring hope to the lives of others.
Her exhibition in Singapore will feature her signature infinity net paintings and infinity mirror rooms as well as others such as her mirrored peep room, I Want to Love on the Festival Night which was specially created for the exhibition.
These artworks begin from the 1950s and explores the development of her work in terms of motif, colours, form and space.
Art Throughout Time
The exhibition is divided into three sections – the first explores her signature dots, nets and pumpkin motifs.
The second explores her tacking body related issues through performances, and lastly her most recent creations like the infinity mirror rooms.
With regards to polka dots, the 88-year-old artist expressed her thoughts about her famed motif.
“Our earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos. Polka dots are a way to infinity. When we obliterate nature and our bodies with polka dots, we become part of the unity of our environment.’
A Reflection Of Childhood
Many of her artwork is a reflection of the hallucinations that she experienced from her early childhood – “seeing dots and nets over everything around her.”
Kusama is elated that people are sharing and spreading her art through any means possible – be it in the newspapers, tv and even social media! She said, “It is important that my art is shared with so many people in many different forms, and I am grateful for that.”
On Art And Life
Art has always been an intrinsic part of her life.
“I have always been in awe of the wonder of life. This strong sense of the life force in artistic expression has been my belief as an artist and it is what supported me and gave me power to overcome feelings of depression, hopelessness, and sadness.”
Art As A Form Of Release
Kusama’s art is primarily inspired by her mental health in which her mother’s abuse played a role.
She stated, “My art originates from hallucinations only I can see. I translate the hallucinations and obsessional images that plague me into sculptures and paintings. All my works in pastels are the products of obsessional neurosis and are therefore inextricably connected to my disease.”
But she does create art pieces when she doesn’t see hallucinations as well.
In an interview with Kusama, the art serves as both a release and a kind of treatment for the psychological problems that she struggled with.
Exhibition details
Dates: 9 June – 3 September
Venue: National Gallery Singapore
Admission: $10-$30
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