Jun 30 – Sep 10 2017

JUN 30 – SEP 10 2017

PRESS Press Contact Rachel Eggers Manager of Public Relations [email protected] RELEASE 206.654.3151 MAY 3, 2017

BLOCKBUSTER EXHIBITION YAYOI KUSAMA: INFINITY MIRRORS OPENS AT SEATTLE ART MUSEUM JUNE 30

Tickets on sale May 30 for survey of celebrated artist’s 65-year career, including five of her immersive Infinity Mirror Rooms

SEATTLE, WA – The Seattle Art Museum presents Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors (June 30–September 10, 2017), exploring the contemporary Japanese artist’s 65-year career. Organized by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the exhibition comes to Seattle—the city of Kusama’s first North American solo show in 1957—after opening to record-breaking crowds in Washington, D.C. The in-depth survey of the artist’s work offers an unprecedented opportunity for visitors to experience five of her iconic, immersive, multi-reflective Infinity Mirror Rooms, alongside more than 60 works on paper, sculptures, and large- scale paintings from the 1950s to the present, including the West Coast debut of vibrant works the artist recently created in her Tokyo studio.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Infinity Mirrors traces Yayoi Kusama’s development from the 1950s to the present. In her early work of the 1950s, the artist addressed her experiences growing up in Japan during World War II with dark, abstract forms in paintings and watercolors. By the 1960s, her interests evolved toward producing immaterial environments, such as Accumulation (1962), a soft sculpture of stuffed cylindrical fabric forms on a wooden chair frame.

Beginning in 1965, Kusama began introducing mirrors as reflective devices in her work with the Infinity Mirror Rooms. Initially motivated by an interest in the idea of “self-obliteration” and political liberation during the Vietnam War, the more recent examples see Kusama’s interest turning more toward a cosmic social harmony. The five rooms presented in this exhibition were created at various times over five decades, with the most recent room created in 2016.

Four of the five Infinity Mirror Rooms on view allow visitors to enter the room, immersing themselves in various environments: large balloons, suspended LED lights, phallic stuffed objects, or Kusama’s beloved pumpkins. The fifth room offers a voyeuristic experience: viewers look through a peep hole, seeing a flurry of flashing lights reflected off the mirrored walls.

The exhibition also marks the West Coast debut of My Eternal Soul (2016), a series of Kusama’s most recent paintings, as well as the recently realized Infinity 2

Room, All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins (2016), featuring an infinite field of her signature pumpkins.

With The Obliteration Room (2002-present), visitors enter an all-white staged living room and are given multicolored dot stickers to adorn every surface. Growing out of Kusama’s participation in the communal happenings of the 1960s, this interactive room casts visitors in the role of artist. By the closing of the exhibition, the room will be completely filled with a riot of colorful dots.

“This exhibition presents a unique opportunity to see the life’s work of a true visionary,” says Catharina Manchanda, SAM’s Jon & Mary Shirley Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art. “Taken together, Kusama’s drawings, paintings, sculptures, and infinity mirror rooms add up to a Gesamtkunstwerk [total art work]. Her web-like structures are reminiscent of both microscopic cell formations and macroscopic visions of outer space. My tip is to look closely at these works; they are the key to understanding the infinity mirror rooms.”

The traveling exhibition opened at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (February 23–May 14, 2017). From Seattle, it will travel to The Broad in Los Angeles (October 21, 2017–January 1, 2018), the Art Gallery of Ontario (March 3– May 27, 2018), the Cleveland Museum of Art (July 7–September 30, 2018), and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta (November 18, 2018–February 17, 2019).

YAYOI KUSAMA – BIOGRAPHY

Yayoi Kusama was born in March 22, 1929, in Matsumoto, Japan. Growing up during World War II, she spent her formative years working at a parachute factory sewing military uniforms. Post-World War II, Kusama enrolled in the Nihonga program at the Kyoto Municipal Hiyoshigoaka Upper Secondary School. After graduating at the age of 20, she participated in regional and collaborative exhibitions in Matsumoto. In 1954, 25-year-old Kusama had her first big break with a solo exhibition at the Shirokiya Gallery in Tokyo.

In 1955, Kusama established a relationship with Georgia O’Keeffe, who gave her advice on how to start a career in the U.S. Eventually this relationship led her to debut her first solo exhibition in the U.S. of paintings and watercolors at the now-defunct Zoë Dusanne Gallery in Seattle, Washington in 1957.

At the age of 29, Kusama moved to New York City. She became very involved in activist art in opposition to the Vietnam War. Her work grew exponentially, exploring spatial installations and the concept of infinity in art. Through the 60s, Kusama was extremely active, showcasing her work alongside notable contemporaries such as Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, and Allan Kaprow.

She continued this work through 1972, when she began to develop an interest in literature. By 1973, Kusama moved back to Japan due to health reasons. She has lived and worked in Japan ever since, achieving popular and critical success, including becoming the first woman to represent Japan at the Venice Biennale in 1993.

RELATED PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

SAM will present a series of related public programs and events, as well as programs for educators, with details to be announced at a later date.

EXHIBITION CATALOGUE

A 224-page exhibition catalogue (including 200 color illustrations) published by Prestel will be available for purchase in June in SAM Shop ($49.95). Also titled Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors (ISBN: 978-3-7913-5594-8), it is edited by Mika Yoshitake, Curator, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. It features the first catalogue raisonné of the Infinity Mirror Rooms and an interview with the artist.

TICKETING INFORMATION

Tickets go on sale to the general public Tuesday, May 30 at 10 am, following a SAM member pre-sale starting May 15. Due to limited capacity and anticipated high demand, timed ticketing will be in effect for the duration of the exhibition.

What to Expect  Visitors should expect to spend at least 1-2 hours at the exhibition.  Visitors should expect lines for each of the Infinity Mirror Rooms.  Visitors will have 20-30 seconds in each room, per the artist’s request.  The Infinity Mirror Rooms allow for two to three people at one time.  Visitors may be asked to enter the room with another visitor to allow as many people as possible the opportunity to experience all of the rooms.

Special Hours  Monday 10 am–5 pm; SAM members ONLY 4–9 pm (beginning July 10)  Closed Tuesday  Wednesday 10 am–5 pm  Thursday and Friday 10 am–9 pm (10 am–5 pm Friday June 30)  Saturday and Sunday 10 am–5 pm  Closed Independence Day; Open Labor Day

Daily Prices  $34.95 Adult  $32.95 Senior (65+)  $29.95 Military (with ID)  $24.95 Student (with ID), Teen (13–17)  FREE for children (12 and under) and SAM members

EXHIBITION ORGANIZATION AND SUPPORT

Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors is organized by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution.

The presentation of the exhibition at SAM is made possible by

Lead Sponsors

The Herman and Faye Sarkowsky Exhibition Endowment

Supporting Sponsors Mimi Gates Asian Art Exhibition Endowment IKEA Loews Hotel 1000, Seattle Perkins Coie LLP 4

Photo credits: Yayoi Kusama with recent works in Tokyo, 2016, Courtesy of the artist, © YAYOI KUSAMA, Photo: Tomoaki Makino. Infinity Mirrored Room—All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins, 2016, at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Yayoi Kusama, Japanese, b. 1929, wood, mirror, plastic, black glass, LED, Collection of the artist, Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore and Victoria Miro, London, © YAYOI KUSAMA, Photo: Cathy Carver.

ABOUT SEATTLE ART MUSEUM As the leading visual art institution in the Pacific Northwest, SAM draws on its global collections, powerful exhibitions, and dynamic programs to provide unique educational resources benefiting the Seattle region, the Pacific Northwest, and beyond. SAM was founded in 1933 with a focus on Asian art. By the late 1980s the museum had outgrown its original home, and in 1991 a new 155,000-square-foot downtown building, designed by Robert Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates, opened to the public. The 1933 building was renovated and reopened as the Asian Art Museum in 1994. SAM’s desire to further serve its community was realized in 2007 with the opening of two stunning new facilities: the nine-acre Olympic Sculpture Park (designed by Weiss/Manfredi Architects)—a “museum without walls,” free and open to all—and the Allied Works Architecture designed 118,000-square-foot expansion of its main, downtown location, including 232,000 square feet of additional space built for future expansion. The Olympic Sculpture Park and SAM’s downtown expansion celebrate their tenth anniversary in 2017.

From a strong foundation of Asian art to noteworthy collections of African and Oceanic art, Northwest Coast Native American art, European and American art, and modern and contemporary art, the strength of SAM’s collection of approximately 25,000 objects lies in its diversity of media, cultures and time periods.

PRESS Press Contact Rachel Eggers Manager of Public Relations [email protected] RELEASE 206.654.3151 JUNE 22, 2017

SAM PRESENTS PROGRAMS AND EVENTS FOR YAYOI KUSAMA: INFINITY MIRRORS

Explore immersive exhibition on legendary artist Yayoi Kusama with talks, film screenings, and studio sessions with local artists

SEATTLE, WA – Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors (June 30–September 10, 2017) explores the 65-year career of the legendary contemporary Japanese artist, featuring five of her immersive, multi-reflective Infinity Mirror Rooms alongside works on paper, sculptures, and large-scale paintings from the 1950s to the present. In conjunction with the exhibition, SAM has assembled a dynamic lineup of programs and events—including talks with community partners, archival film screenings, and collaborative art-making sessions.

YAYOI KUSAMA: INFINITY MIRRORS PROGRAMS AND EVENTS Details are subject to change; additional programs or events may be added. Go to visitsam.org/kusama for the most up-to-date information.

Every Sun, Jul 2–Sep 10 Drop-In Studio: Infinite Reflections 11 am–1 pm Seattle Art Museum A series of drop-in studio sessions featuring demonstrations by local artists and an opportunity for hands-on art-making. Expert teaching artists will explore themes and ideas found in Infinity Mirrors and connections to their own work and processes.  Jul 2 & 9: Junko Yamamoto  Jul 16, 23, & 30: Ellen Ziegler  Aug 6, 13, & 20: Celeste Cooning  Aug 27, Sep 3 & 10: Regina Schilling Presented by Delta Air Lines and Target.

Wed Jul 12 Infinity Flower: Yayoi Kusama’s Films and Videos 7:30–9:30 pm Seattle Art Museum This evening of films and videos explores Yayoi Kusama’s experimental, political, and deeply personal view of the world. A forerunner of the Pop Art movement, Kusama was part of the 1960s New York “happenings” culture. Her films sample that scene and chronicle her lifelong obsession with journeying beyond individual ego into infinity. Includes clips from Kusama’s Self 2

Obliteration (1967), Love in Festival (1968), Flower Orgy (1968), and Yayoi Kusama: I Adore Myself (2008).

Thu Jul 13 Pom-Pom Garden Installation 6–8 pm Volunteer Park Amphitheater As part of the Volunteer Park Trust's annual Picnic in the Park, SAM’s Gardner Center for Asian Art and Ideas invites visitors to make their own pom-poms with artist Naomi Kasumi. Add your work to a group “dandelion garden” installation on the lawn, creating a community artwork in connection with the downtown SAM exhibition Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors.

Every Thu & Sat, Jul 13–Aug 31 Summer at SAM Thu 6–8 pm; Sat 9 am–3 pm Olympic Sculpture Park SAM presents a free summer season packed full of activities and performances that combine visual art, music, and community. This season celebrates the sculpture park’s 10th anniversary and is inspired by Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors downtown and new installations on view at the sculpture park. Free and open to the public.

Sat Jul 15 3D Dot Immersion Workshop 11 am–2 pm Seattle Art Museum Be inspired by the immersive, participatory, and potentially healing installation environments of Infinity Mirrors in this workshop with artist Naomi Kasumi. Participants will consider an unresolved personal event and, without sharing the details, think of an apology they would like to make through a group installation. Kasumi leads participants in creating apology pom-poms, like 3-D dots, and assembling them into an enlivening spatial experience.

Wed Jul 19 Kitchen Sessions with The CD Forum for Art and Ideas 7–9 pm Seattle Art Museum In partnership with The Central District Forum for Art and Ideas and poet and educator Imani Sims, this dynamic evening will explore themes related to Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors. The Forum’s recurring Kitchen Sessions are an opportunity to highlight and celebrate black female-identified artists, to reflect on and discuss art with these artists, and to develop inter-generational dialogue.

Fri Aug 11 SAM Remix 8 pm–midnight Olympic Sculpture Park SAM Remix returns for a full evening of performances, tours, dancing, creating, and exploring the sculptures and installations at the Olympic Sculpture Park. Choose your own adventure during this creative late-night out inspired by Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors and new installations on view at the sculpture park. Remix is a 21+ event. Remix is sponsored by Delta Air Lines and Starbucks Coffee Company. Media sponsors are The Stranger and KEXP 90.3 FM

REGISTERING AND PURCHASING TICKETS FOR SAM PROGRAMS

Advance registration or ticket purchase is required for SAM public programs. Please note that tickets for SAM programming and events does not include entrance to Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors. To register or purchase tickets, visit seattleartmuseum.org or call the Box Office at 206.654.3121. Event tickets may also be purchased at the Seattle Art Museum.

EXHIBITION ORGANIZATION AND SUPPORT

Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors is organized by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution.

The presentation of the exhibition at SAM is made possible by

Lead Sponsors

The Herman and Faye Sarkowsky Exhibition Endowment

Supporting Sponsors Mimi Gates Asian Art Exhibition Endowment Perkins Coie LLP IKEA Loews Hotel 1000, Seattle

Photo credits: Dots Obsession—Love Transformed into Dots, 2007, at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Yayoi Kusama, Japanese, b. 1929, mixed media installation, Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore; Victoria Miro, London; David Zwirner, New York, © YAYOI KUSAMA, Photo: Cathy Carver. The Obliteration Room, 2002 to present, Yayoi Kusama, Japanese, b. 1929, furniture, white paint, and dot stickers, dimensions variable, Collaboration between Yayoi Kusama and Queensland Art Gallery, Commissioned Queensland Art Gallery, Australia, Gift of the artist through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation 2012, Collection: Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia, © YAYOI KUSAMA, Photo: QAGOMA Photography.

SELECTED IMAGES

IMAGE CAPTION

Dots Obsession—Love Transformed into Dots, 2007, at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Yayoi Kusama, Japanese, b. 1929, mixed media installation, Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore; Victoria Miro, London; David Zwirner, New York, © YAYOI KUSAMA, Photo: Cathy Carver.

Infinity Mirrored Room—All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins, 2016, Yayoi Kusama, Japanese, b. 1929, wood, mirror, plastic, black glass, LED, Collection of the artist, Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore and Victoria Miro, London, © YAYOI KUSAMA.

Installation view of Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 2017, Left to right: Living on the Yellow Land, 2015; My Adolescence in Bloom, 2014; Welcoming the Joyful Season, 2014; Surrounded by Heartbeats, 2014; Unfolding Buds, 2015; Story After Death, 2014, Photo: Cathy Carver.

Infinity Mirrored Room—Love Forever, 1966/1994, at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Yayoi Kusama, Japanese, b. 1929, wood, mirrors, metal, and lightbulbs, 82 ¾ x 94 ½ x 80 ¾ in., Collection of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore, © YAYOI KUSAMA.

Infinity Mirrored Room—All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins, (exterior view) 2016, Yayoi Kusama, Japanese, b. 1929, wood, mirror, plastic, black glass, LED, Collection of the artist, Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore and Victoria Miro, London, © YAYOI KUSAMA.

Infinity Mirrored Room—All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins, 2016, at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Yayoi Kusama, Japanese, b. 1929, wood, mirror, plastic, black glass, LED, Collection of the artist, Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore and Victoria Miro, London, © YAYOI KUSAMA, Photo: Cathy Carver.

Infinity Mirrored Room—Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity, 2009, at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Yayoi Kusama, Japanese, b. 1929, wood, mirror, plastic, acrylic, LED, black glass, and aluminum, Collection of the artist, Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore; Victoria Miro, London; David Zwirner, New York, © YAYOI KUSAMA, Photo: Cathy Carver.

Infinity Mirrored Room—Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity, 2009, Yayoi Kusama, Japanese, b. 1929, wood, mirror, plastic, acrylic, LED, black glass, and aluminum, Collection of the artist, Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore; Victoria Miro, London; David Zwirner, New York, © YAYOI KUSAMA.

Installation view of Infinity Mirror Room— Phalli’s Field, 1965, at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Yayoi Kusama, Japanese, b. 1929, sewn stuffed cotton fabric, board, and mirrors, Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore; Victoria Miro, London; David Zwirner, New York, © YAYOI KUSAMA, Photo: Cathy Carver.

Searching for Love, 2013, Yayoi Kusama, Japanese, b. 1929, acrylic on canvas, Collection of Miyoung Lee and Neil Simpkins, Courtesy of David Zwirner, New York; Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore; Victoria Miro, London, © YAYOI KUSAMA.

The Obliteration Room, 2002 to present, Yayoi Kusama, Japanese, b. 1929, furniture, white paint, and dot stickers, dimensions variable, Collaboration between Yayoi Kusama and Queensland Art Gallery, Commissioned Queensland Art Gallery, Australia, Gift of the artist through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation 2012, Collection: Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia, © YAYOI KUSAMA, Photo: QAGOMA Photography.

Installation view of Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 2017, Left to right: Ennui, 1976; Accumulation, 1962-64; Red Stripes, 1965; Arm Chair, 1963, Photo: Cathy Carver.

Installation view of Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 2017, Left to right: Blue Spots, 1965; Flowers – Overcoat, 1964; A Snake, 1974; Ennui, 1976; Accumulation, 1962-64; Red Stripes, 1965; Arm Chair, 1963, Photo: Cathy Carver.

Installation view of Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 2017; Life (Repetitive Vision), 1998, Photo: Cathy Carver.