All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins (2016)
Photo: Victoria Miro Gallery
In addition to dotted patterns and obliterated spaces, one peculiar motif that constantly reappears throughout Kusama's career is the pumpkin. In 2016, Kusama celebrated the humble squash with All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins.
Like Infinity Mirror Room—Phalli’s Field, this installation features fields of sculptures that appear to sprout from the ground. Unsurprisingly, the illuminated pumpkins are covered in bold polka dots, emphasizing the pumpkins' twisting forms and surreal aesthetic.
The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away (2013)
In 2013, Kusama again experimented with light for her illuminated installation, The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away. Like Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity, the piece surrounds viewers in a dazzling display of light. Unlike the former, however, The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away features bulbs of various colors, transforming the space into a rainbow spectacle evocative of infinite, starry space. “In the universe, there is the sun, the moon, the earth, and hundreds of millions of stars,” Kusama comments. “All of us live in the unfathomable mystery and infinitude of the universe.”
Mirror Room (Pumpkin) (1992)
Photo: Åsa Lundén/Moderna Museet
In 1992, Kusama created Mirror Room (Pumpkin), a polka-dotted piece that turned her typical Mirror Room design on its head.
Instead of mirrors surrounding patterns, this piece features patterns surrounding mirrors. Specifically, the walls are covered in Kusama's familiar “pumpkin” aesthetic, while panes of reflective glass compose a cube in the center. This unique layout still suggests Kusama's interest in infinity, but with an unexpected, topsy turvy twist—earning the artist the right to call herself the “modern Alice in Wonderland.”
Love is Calling (2013)
In 2013, Kusama created Love is Calling, an installation of inflatables that showcases her longterm attraction to soft sculpture—an artistic fascination that first prompted her into the limelight with Phalli’s Field.
As twisting, Technicolor tentacles emerge from both the floor and ceiling, visitors are transported into a surreal scene straight out of a dream. Though an aesthetically unique piece, this Mirror Room incorporates several of the artist's characteristic interests: polka dots, light, and an invitation to “become one with our environment.”
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