Yayoi Kusama -Infinity Mirrors

Today, the kids and I, as members of the Cleveland Museum of Art, had the opportunity to go to artist Yayoi Kusama's exhibit entitled "Infinity Mirrors". For those of you not familiar with Ms. Kusama, a little introduction is warranted. Yayoi Kusama was born in Japan in 1929. She is originally from Matsumoto, my favorite, and in my opinion, one of the most beautiful cities in Japan (it's also home to Shiniichi Suzuki, the violinist and founder of the Suzuki method...the original Suzuki School is still there!). Ms. Kusama is BIG into installation art and sculpture...both of which are represented in this show. The title "Infinity Mirrors" is aptly named because a large part of the show is going into little rooms with lots of mirrors, lighting and other repeating themes. There are some sexual themes in the art, but not to the extent that it's inappropriate for children (though if nudity and sexual phallic themes bother you...then maybe skip the art museum all together because those themes are pretty much a common thread throughout human history--take a closer look at those Greek vases next time you stroll through a museum, and you'll see what I mean).

Ms. Kusama is pretty interesting herself. At the end of the exhibit, there is a video of her describing her art and what she hopes it achieves. If you've ever studied geisha, she is kind of a modern version in the sense that she is wearing a wig (hot pink bob) and her face is powdered with ruby red lips and her eyebrows draw in. She talks with zero emotion, and yet speaks of great emotion. I later told Mark that I thought Japanese culture encouraged eccentricity among those who chose not to be "the nail pounded down" because if you're going to rebel and non-conform, the only way to do that in Japan and survive is to do it with great panache and in an over-the-top way. Like a geisha, she also seems like she is playing a part. She is part of the dichotomy that exists in Japanese culture between reality and illusion. With geisha that line gets blurred, and that line is similarly blurred in the same way in this exhibit.

The Exhibit is entitled "Infinity Mirrors" because each little room gives one the "illusion" of infinity. You walk in and the object (and you!) are manifested seemingly endless times through mirrors...sometimes it is light that seems to stretch into infinity, sometimes it is a pattern, and sometimes it is an object as well as the viewer. By entering the room, you too become part of the illusion. You have thirty seconds in each room. Not only does this help the flow of the exhibit, but it also mirrors (see what I did there) the idea of impermanence. My favorite exhibit was one called Toro Nagashi which is designed to mimic the lanterns that are used during Obon in which lit paper lanterns are sent down a river to commemorate the spirits of the ancestors. It's a beautiful festival that is mimicked in her installation through the use of light, darkness and mirrors. At one point, the lights go out, and then slowly all come back on, almost as if the spirits of the ancestors had been snuffed out only to be reborn, kind of mirroring the Buddhist concept of rebirth. Standing in the room with the lights of Toro Nagashi made one feel the depth of connectedness to each spirit, and yet the sense of the endless journey of birth, death, and rebirth. I wish I could have spent about 10 minutes in that room, or even a minute, but the time limit made one aware just how brief life really is, and how you have to really drink in each moment as it happens. The last room you go through is one where you are handed a sheet of different sized polka dots, and told to place them anywhere you want in a room where all the furniture, walls, etc are painted white. I asked one of the docent what will happen to the room after the Exhibit, and as she started to explain, I said "I bet it will be destroyed, because like the message of her art, this piece of art is also "impermanent". She said: "Exactly". It was a good lesson for the kids to think about; namely, that while each one of us is a unique human being, without some larger purpose of being associated with the infinite (God), our presence here on Earth is one of impermanence where nothing we do can be counted on to last beyond our own lives, beyond our ability to love and help those on our path, who can be forever changed by our interaction with them.

It's ironic I went on a Sunday, and then went to Mass afterward. In my quest to find those common areas within the Venn Diagrams of life (read my post about Yoga if you missed it), I saw lots of overlap in the idea of our connectedness to one another, as well as the fleeting nature of life. While we might not believe exactly the same thing about the nature of life, Catholics and Christians should be able to share with Buddhists the idea that life is all too brief, and that like reincarnation, we as Christians are born into new life when we join our lives to Christ's.

I encourage you to experience the wonder, beauty, and message of this amazing installation while it is here in our fair city. And if you don't live around Cleveland, I hope you find a way to see this installation...heck, Cleveland is a great place to visit so what are you waiting for?