Yayoi Kusama: DANCING LIGHTS THAT FLEW UP TO THE UNIVERSE at PHI Foundation, Montréal

In celebration of its 15th anniversary, the PHI Foundation for Contemporary Art presents Yayoi Kusama: DANCING LIGHTS THAT FLEW UP TO THE UNIVERSE, the artist’s first solo exhibition in Québec (on view 6 July 2022-15 January 2023).

This exhibition will introduce visitors to the spiritual and philosophical depth of the artist’s work. Since her early forays into painting, sculpture, and performance, Kusama has long explored the conceptual and formal aspects of phenomenology and immersion in her work. At a time when the digital and virtual have overwhelmed our sensibilities, Kusama’s environments proffer analog experiences that both situate viewers within and beyond our universes. The exhibition in Montréal will present three of her signature bronze pumpkin sculptures in different sizes, two new 'peep-in' mirrored rooms, a grid of her vibrant My Eternal Soul paintings, as well as two striking Infinity Mirrored Rooms. Infinity Mirrored Room - DANCING LIGHTS THAT FLEW UP TO THE UNIVERSE (2019), from which the show takes its title, is filled with hanging light globes that alternate colors before abruptly going dark. The viewer is absorbed into darkness for a moment before the glowing spheres slowly flicker back on, initiating again a cycle akin to life and rebirth.

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Image: Yayoi Kusama, INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM - DANCING LIGHTS THAT FLEW UP TO THE UNIVERSE, 2019

Mirrored glass, wood, LED lighting system, metal, and acrylic panel

Courtesy of David Zwirner