Yayoi Kusama at the NGV

Melbourne, 7 February 2025

Don't worry, I am not about to attempt a review of an art exhibition. I like stuff including things that look cool and interesting. I want to keep note of the parts of the Kusama exhibition that made me feel like rushing home and being creative.

I like how Fem Kingdom (1953) uses the dark blue areas to create 'caverns' in the canvas that contain the detail, kind of like patches of light under the sea where you can see weird sea creatures.

Accumulation of the Corpses (Prisoner Surrounded by the Curtain of Depersonalisation) (1950) also features a patch of light containing the subject that is surrounded by dark structures. This composition and the structure of the 'curtain' looks fun to emulate in some way. I also love the overly dramatic title for this piece.

18D (1956) again surrounds the subject matter, which is something botanic, in darkness. This composition is interesting because usually when I muck around with paints I am not thinking about creating a space for the subject like this.

Finally, Soaring into Space (1975) has an interesting mix of abstract and literal things and seems to depict different planes of existence, or perhaps heaven and earth.

I hope the NGV keeps these image links alive!