TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (MACAN) is opening a brand new exhibition titled Yayoi Kusama: Life is the Heart of a Rainbow on May 12. The exhibition focuses on the works of the titular Japanese artist.
Born in 1929, Kusama started her artistic career in post-war Japan. The painted polka dots and nets, which are part of her signature iconography, stem from hallucinations she has had since she was 11-year-old. She is lauded the world over as one of the greatest avant-garde artists to have come out from the contemporary pop-art movement.
The public can follow Kusama’s transformative works close to its entirety as the exhibition showcases 130 works spanning Kusama’s 70-year career. The exhibition was developed and curated by the National Gallery Singapore, and the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art in Australia in tandem with Museum MACAN. Featured works include pieces from MACAN’s own acquisitions, as well as works never seen before in previous Kusama exhibitions. The exhibition runs until September 9, 2018.
Read: 'Infinite Obsession' of Famed Japanese Artist Yayoi Kusama
“[Yayoi] is one of the most important and iconic figures of contemporary art,” says Museum MACAN director, Aaron Seeto, when asked about MACAN’s decision to bring Kusama to Indonesia, “She’s an artist who has engaged in the popular culture, and is someone who is able to speak very clearly to diverse and different audiences.”
“The time that she’s spent in America and transporting those conversations back to Japan not only make her historically important, but also a very influential icon for that post-war, transmigration experience.”
“This is also an opportunity for us to bring in and to work with an artist of that stature here in Indonesia,” Seeto says, “[and] this is a very complex show that has never really been presented like this.”
The Museum has taken precautions to prevent overcrowding for this exhibition in the wake of the public’s massive interest in Kusama’s installation in Museum MACAN’s previous exhibition.
“What we’ve actually decided to do is move our ticketing station downstairs, to avoid having too many people in the [museum] area,” says Fenessa Adikoesoemo, the chairwoman of the Museum MACAN foundation, “We are limiting the number of visitors to 3000 people per day as well, because anything more than that could potentially risk the safety of the artwork.”
While Kusama’s popularity is attributed to the instagrammable nature of her work, the exhibition is structured in a way where people can appreciate Kusama’s work in a deeper sense.
“I think what’s interesting about this exhibition is that it looks at the development of what is most visible about her work and adds to the historical context,” Seeto says, “I hope that as people go through this exhibition, they will be able to see where those ideas came from.”
KRISNA PRADIPTA