Dubbed "Rain Room, Part Deux", Yayoi Kusama's I Who Have Arrived in Heaven at David Zwirner in Chelsea has been drawing sizable crowds to 19th Street. A big fan of Kusama's work (in particular, her infinity rooms), I set out to Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, unprepared for the amusement park-like queues that greeted me.
Since Fireflies on the Water at the Whitney Museum last year, I skipped the line for the similar work Infinity Mirrored Room -- The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away, which commanded the lengthiest line. The separate line for Love is Calling, moved fairly quickly, and after about 20 minutes, I was admitted into the room for my one minute of viewing.
The experience is delightfully overwhelming, and includes a soundtrack of Kusama's voice penetrating the chamber. The beautifully luminous tentacles form an environment almost like a seascape, but the sound and infinite reflections make it a bit unsettling. Endlessness, a theme explored throughout much of Kusama's work, is most notably embodied by these installations, calling to mind the triviality of an individual within the universe.
If you've never experienced one of Kusama's infinity rooms, I recommend a visit to 19th Street, preferably on a weekday.
Have you had a chance to see the exhibition? How did it make you feel?
Dress: Vintage
Boots: Ash
Handbag: Marc by Marc Jacobs
David Zwirner Gallery
November 8 - December 21, 2013
Photos by Kathy Paciello.
