Today, there was plan A. And then there was plan B. Well, not quite so planned actually. I intended to head to Kamakura today, to join the surf club and begin my Kamakura summers, for research purposes, of course.
Then, I remembered an exhibition that has been on since February which I had every intention of seeing and I recalled it was due to end in May. And with May almost upon us, and the fear of the ensuing self-flagellation should I have missed it, I opted for art. For the love of art.
Brisbane friends will be familiar with Kusama Yayoi's work. She has been exhibited at the Qld Art Gallery and GOMA, some of her work is now part of the the collection. People might recall being mesmerised by her 'Narcissus Garden', the steel mirrored balls afloat in the water gallery; or, you might be familiar with her 'eyes' around the forecourt of the Court Building precinct.
Wherever you see her work, there is a power that draws you to it. I was keen to see it in a Tokyo context.
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| Some of her famous flowers |
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| Signed... |
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| The large exhibition room, walls lined with her paintings and flowers on the floor |
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| perhaps one hundred or so such painting |
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| You could spend all your time with the flowers |
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| Flowers in the crowd |
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| From another angle |
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| The paintings exploited many styles |
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| and colours |
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| A setting for the Narcissus Garden |
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| All the trees were 'yayoi-ed' too |
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| The Art Gallery |
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| with greenery and blue sky |
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| The Obliteration Room 'collaboration with Qld Art Gallery' |
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| A rogue sticker |
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| From the outside |
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| A dotty pumpkin |
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| pumpkin skyline |
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| Pumpkin with shadowy self-portrait |
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| The sticker that tried to make it all the way to the subway station |
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| A memento or three |
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| And, because I seem to collect Art Gallery t-shirts, accidentally on purpose |
Kusama has just turned 88. She spent several years in the United States from the late 1950s. She came from a well-to-do family, owners of a plant nursery and seed farm (which she attributes to her affinity for pumpkins, along with dots, her signature works). Actually she has many many signature works.
It was my first visit to the the National Art Center here in Tokyo, but I can see I will be back. Brilliant work. Brilliant day.
[Camera : iPhone6S*, 1.33pm-2.52pm, 3.37pm-3.49pm, 6.13pm; 30 April 2017, and so ends April]
*All photography was limited to smart phones only, no other cameras allowed, and only in certain parts of the exhibition. Still, it was quite generous really.
