Starting this Saturday and running through the end of October, Yayoi Kusama: Cosmic Nature is an enormous, world-class exhibition of the beloved artist's pieces, many of them created especially to fit in with the varied environments of the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx.
Originally planned for 2020--pretty much everything was ready to go in various warehouses when the pandemic hit--Cosmic Nature has ten basic viewing areas spread out across the Garden's 250-acre landscape. Some of these can be viewed with a regular "Kusama Garden Pass" admission, while others (mostly the indoor installations) require a "Garden and Gallery Pass."
The big outdoor pieces are all spectacular, especially Kusama's new "Dancing Pumpkin," the first time the artist has animated one of her signature polka-dotted squashes. The 16-foot-high bronze sculpture dominates the Haupt Conservatory Lawn and can be read as either friendly and jaunty or vaguely menacing depending on your viewing angle. Slip in under its "tentacles" for an overhead selfie.
Also created specifically for this sprawling exhibit is "I Want to Fly to the Universe," a vibrant starfish with a look of surprise on its sunny face. This sits right on the surface of the reflecting pool near the visitor center, to excellent effect. A water-bound version of Kusama's famous "Narcissus Garden" drifts about the Native Plant Garden, the dozens of reflective balls blowing around in the breeze (and not appearing to intimidate the resident ducks).
The final outdoor piece is simple but lovely, the self-descriptively titled "Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees" which greet you near the Garden's Mosholu entrance. You'll also find Kusama's latest obliteration room, styled here as a greenhouse and titled "Flower Obsession." Upon entry you receive a flower sticker and boutonniere, which you can then place (almost) anywhere inside. It may look like not much yet in these photos, but every sticker will be kept in place for the exhibition's entire run, and should soon start to "obliterate" the surroundings.
Within the Haupt Conservatory there are two bunches of flower sculptures--which remind me of the floral menaces in Mario 64--as well as a "Starry Pumpkin," nicely placed amid the lush greenhouse growths. "Pumpkins Screaming About Love Beyond Infinity" is also indoors, a pitch-dark room that slowly glows with a bed of squash. Paintings, collages, and more sculptural works can be seen within the Mertz Library Building.
Finally, there is a new Infinity Room called "Illusion Inside the Heart," and though it won't open until June (and will even then require a separate ticket), Kusama has cleverly mirrored the entire exterior of the box, so it's still cool to look at and photograph even if you can't get inside.
Tickets are on sale now for Kusama: Cosmic Nature at nybg.org, and the exhibition runs through October 31st.
