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The Arts Intel Report

Yayoi Kusama's Self-Obliteration: Psychedelic World

Yayoi Kusama, Self-Obliteration #2, 1967.

Aug 3 – Sept 18, 2023
107 Bentencho, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 162-0851, Japan

Yayoi Kusama has been exploring the state of “self-obliteration” for decades. For her, it’s a floating place that stems from the hallucinations she’s experienced since childhood. “It made it possible for me to continue to make art every day,” she told The Guardian in 2018, “and this has saved my life.” With mirrors, flickering lights, and mesmerizing polka-dot galaxies she dazzles viewers into a trancelike state. Located in the heart of Kagurazaka, this exhibition focuses on the psychedelic elements of Kusama’s art. A new hexagonal mirror room, presented for the first time in New York in the 1960s, is a highlight. Buy timed tickets ahead of your visit—there won’t be any available at the door. —Elena Clavarino

Photo: © YAYOI KUSAMA/courtesy of Norihiro Ueno