I have long enjoyed seeing the work of Yayoi Kusama and today I got a double shot. We went and saw the documentary about her life and work ‘Kusama-Infinity’ and then drove over to the National Gallery of Australia to see her installation work ‘The Spirits of the Pumpkins Descended into the Heavens.
Highly recommended!
The movie spends some time looking at her early work in America. This was what I found most interesting. Her early work really ‘stands up’, over time. It’s a lot tougher than the brightly coloured work we tend to associate with her today. I also got a better understanding of the misogyny and rip-offs she faced (and other female artists too) during that time. Her resilience is even more remarkable than I had realised.
Back at the National Gallery of Australia we met up with friends and had a look at one of her signature installations. I learned from the documentary that these were originally referred to as “peep shows”, which reflects the tougher work she was making in her younger days.
Pumpkins peep show.
leonieandrews 
I will look out for the documentary – I do enjoy Kusama’s work, but am only familiar with her more recent stuff. I love the overwhelming intensity of it.
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It’s on at Dendy at present. I am not sure if it is available on Netflix as they appeared from the credits to have funded the project.
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She’s great. Yes, her work is wonderfully intense.
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oh what a treat to see the doco and her work all in one day!
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have you seen the Masters of Modern Art from The Hermitage at the AGNSW yet? seeing the Kandinskys in real life was amazing, their colours glow as if they were painted yesterday not a hundred years ago!
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Yes, isn’t it wonderful. We came up to see the John Russell and it happened to be on the day the Masters opened so we got a bonus!
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It was an opportunity too good to miss and our friends didn’t know the gallery had one of her works ( it only opened in December).
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