two yayoi kusama infinity mirror rooms are coming to tate modern this spring

this spring, london’s tate modern will give visitors a rare chance to experience two of yayoi kusama’s mesmerizing infinity mirror rooms. the immersive installations offer a glimpse into the japanese artist’s unique universe of endless reflections, psychedelic colors and patterns. titled ‘infinity mirrored room – filled with the brilliance of life’, the first room in the exhibition takes shape as a mirrored walkway and marks one of kusama’s largest installations. the second, ‘chandelier of grief’, creates the illusion of a boundless universe of rotating chandeliers.yayoi kusama, ‘infinity mirrored room – filled with the brilliance of life’, 2011/2017, tate

presented by the artist, ota fine arts and victoria miro 2015, accessioned 2019
©️ yayoi kusama

the two upcoming installations at tate modern demonstrate key elements from yayoi kusama’s oeuvre, including repetition, infinity, psychedelic colors and patterns. both rooms highlight the artist’s ability to breaks the boundaries between subject and object, which adds an interactive character to her work. pictured above, the immersive ‘infinity mirrored room – filled with the brilliance of life’ was realized as one of the kusama’s largest installations, made for her 2012 retrospective at the tate.yayoi kusama, ‘infinity mirrored room – filled with the brilliance of life’, 2011/2017, tate

presented by the artist, ota fine arts and victoria miro 2015, accessioned 2019
©️ yayoi kusama

kusama’s perception of endless space, as well as her trademark polka dots, are largely influenced from her anxiety and hallucinatory episodes, which came often in the form of nets or spots. upon entering the ‘infinity mirrored room – filled with the brilliance of life’, visitors face a series of reflective surfaces that clad the walls and ceiling, while at the same time, a shallow pool covers the walkway. small, round LED lights in multiple colors hang from above, reflected by the mirrors and the water, to provide viewers with the feeling of being in a seemingly limitless space.yayoi kusama, ‘infinity mirrored room – filled with the brilliance of life’, 2011/2017, tate

meanwhile, ‘chandelier of grief’ (2016) is first encountered in the gallery setting as a white hexagonal structure, measuring nearly four meters high. the viewer enters into a mirrored environment in which a sole light source is a baroque-style chandelier suspended above head-height from the ceiling of the structure. the chandelier is fixed to a rotating mechanism and, combined with its flickering, pulsating lights and the mirrored walls, is intended to create a destabilising yet mesmerising effect. apart from the two installations, the tate brings together a presentation of films and photographs that provide historical context for the global phenomenon that kusama’s mirrored rooms have become today.yayoi kusama, ‘infinity mirrored room – filled with the brilliance of life’, 2011/2017, tate