Kusama Connections: Artists Explore Our Place in the Universe

Through September 30 the Cleveland Museum of Art is host to Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors, an exhibition that includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, archival materials, and seven immersive environments by artist Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1929). The CMA is the fifth and only Midwest venue for this blockbuster exhibition, which celebrates Kusama’s 65-year career with a special emphasis on her mirrored Infinity Rooms.

With its bright colors, use of light and mirrors, and fun shapes, Kusama’s work appears playful. But it also engages with weighty themes like human insignificance in the vast cosmos — and, in equal measure, our oneness with that cosmos. Her Infinity Rooms can make us feel tiny in the seemingly endless space, but simultaneously make us feel at one with that space as our bodies become part of the environment.

Kusama once said, “Our earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos,” emphasizing our place in the universe using her signature language of polka dots. This statement can apply to many works of art in the CMA’s permanent galleries, some of them visitor favorites, and we took this opportunity to create a self-guided tour, called Kusama Connections, that explores these relationships.

“Our earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos.” — Yayoi Kusama

Since the beginning of time artists have explored their own places in the world around them; artists have been grappling with these same questions for thousands of years. Each of the objects chosen for the tour engages with the themes of our position in the universe and the never-ending passage of time. That many objects in the CMA’s collection relate to these themes reflects the universality of Kusama’s work.

The tour begins in gallery 102a with The Stargazer, an ancient marble sculpture and one of the oldest representations of the human body in the museum. Remnants of dirt and minerals cover its surface, indicating the figure was buried for a very long time. Scholars think this represents a woman looking up to the stars, contemplating the night sky. Have you ever looked up into the sky on a clear night and felt tiny in the presence of something enormous? Artists thousands of years ago had that same experience, and that is reflected in The Stargazer. Look closely: you can just make out the ridge of her nose and tiny raised dots of her eyes as she tilts her head upward. Although the artist greatly streamlined the shape of this figure, we still recognize it as a simple but striking form of the human body.

Moving to the second floor of the museum, in gallery 240b, you will find a Chinese silver vessel. While it may not look like it, this Raft Cup was actually meant to be used to drink wine. Imagine putting your lips to the front of the vessel and tipping it up to drink; the face of the figure in the raft would almost touch your nose! This figure is a cosmic traveler. He is sailing across the galaxy in his raft made of a hollowed-out log, staring with his mouth open at the beauty of the cosmos. The traveler practices Daoism, which highlights a harmonious relationship between humans and the natural world and encourages us to become one with the path of the universe. (The Raft Cup moves to gallery 240a on August 13.)

Next, make your way into the contemporary gallery 229b. Here you will come upon a work you might not expect to see in a museum. Untitled (March 5th) #2 is a work by Felix Gonzalez-Torres, who used things you probably have around your house, like lightbulbs or pieces of candy, to explore the themes of love, loss, and human connections. The two lightbulbs used in this work have long cords that twist together, becoming one. The bulbs and cords represent Gonzalez-Torres’s close relationship with his partner Ross, who died of an AIDS-related illness. While the lightbulbs shine brightly in our galleries, we know that they will eventually burn out — just as we will all eventually die. During our lifetimes, though, our lights shine fiercely, beautifully, and brightly. Gonzalez-Torres’s work reminds us to cherish our time with those we love and reflect on the brief beauty of our own existences.

Pick up a Kusama Connections Tour in the Kusama Lounge, located in the north court lobby in the atrium, to discover more permanent collection objects that relate to Kusama’s work. Even if you haven’t yet seen Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors, her quote and big ideas can guide your experience of the CMA’s permanent galleries and encourage you to view the collection through her lens of infinity.

Learn more about this legendary artist in the blog post here: Who is Yayoi Kusama? The Cleveland “Infinity Mirrors” Exhibition Open Now, and check out #InfiniteKusama on social media to see how others are experiencing the exhibition.

See the full Kusama Connections tour brochure here, it’s also available on the CMA’s Artlens App, available for download.