PRETENDING TO BE CULTURED FEATURING YAYOI KUSAMA

To understand why I would wait outside in freezing cold conditions for nearly two hours, I have to take you back to 2014.

I was a senior in high school and had about a month left until graduation. For the most part, high school treated me fairly well. A good portion of my positive memories came from art class.

I was one of those kids who managed to be in a bunch of art classes while lacking any true artistic talent. I was also the same kid who got a pass to leave gym class every day to work on a "very important art project." (I ended up with a D in gym for that marking period and still have nightmares to this day about the PACER test.)

One of the perks to being in the advanced art class (other than getting out of gym) was the field trip to the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh, PA.

Much to my surprise, there was not a single mattress to be found in this museum. (That was a joke.)

For those who've never been, the Mattress Factory is "a contemporary art museum and experimental lab featuring site-specific installations created by artists in residence from around the world." Their website explains it far better than I ever could.

I'll be quite honest, as I roamed around the instillation art-filled rooms, very few pieces made an impression on me. One room was completely bare with nothing but a hole in the ground which led outside of the fourth story level. I just didn't understand how that qualified as art. Maybe I wasn't/am not cultured enough? It did however make me feel uneasy. But that's probably because the weird OCD part of my brain was telling me to go near it for further inspection.

About midway through my meandering, I encountered a door. I was instructed to take off my shoes and slide on these little coverings that kind of looked like shower caps. Okay, if you say so.

A woman with the museum staff opened the door and I entered another world. I was surrounded in a room made entirely out of mirrors. I know, this may sound terrifying but just hear me out and look at the pictures to better understand what I cannot convey through words. The walls and ceiling were completely mirrored with a floor of neon polka dots.

The never ending back and forth of the mirrors, combined with the black lights created a galaxy effect. It was the most bizarre, fascinating experience I have ever had with a piece of art.

Later I found out this room was made by Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama. Her art, which is a product of combatants toward mental illness, has become highly sought out for even the non-art lover. Naturally, when I heard Kusama's Festival of Life exhibit was on display at a Chelsea gallery, I wanted to experience the instillation artist's work again.

So, let me catch you up to now, or December 14, 2017 to be exact. I got out of bed at 6:00 AM, which mind you, NEVER happens. I showered, put on some makeup and made my way to the David Zwirner Gallery to be reunited with Kusama's work. I somehow enticed my roommate to come bare the freezing conditions and long-ish line with me. (Thanks Laura.)

We got there an hour and a half before the gallery opened, and good thing we did. By the time the gallery opened, the line had wrapped around the block. With only a couple of days left open for the exhibit, everyone in New York (and Jersey, but we don't talk about them) came out of their apartments to get a glimpse of Kusama's art...or maybe just for a picture to post on Instagram.

Once inside we were told we only had a limited time to view each piece. Waiting in the cold for almost two hours to see something for a mere minute seemed pretty damn stupid at this point, but I was still optimistic.

The first part of the exhibit was much like my initial experience at the Mattress Factory. A room with mirrors. This room seemed much smaller though. It was

brightly lit with silver balls strung throughout. There were no more than 15 of us in the intimate, out of this world space. With the minute allotted, I tried to enjoy the art while still managing to take as many pictures possible.

The next part of the exhibit wasn't a room, but a peephole/window. Once you looked in, mirrors and colorful lights created something so strange. Almost like being in a disco ball. Cue "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees.

(Explaining art via written word is difficult. Can you tell I'm struggling? Just look at the pictures, okay?)

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To top off Festival of Life, the last room looked like a real life Super Mario Bros level. Big red polka dots covered this white space. Two huge flower statues sat at either end in the vibrant pattern.

In addition to the instillation pieces, there was a room filled with her abstract paintings.

Although I had to put up with the frigid weather, a runny nose, and standing in line for 1.5 hours, I'm glad to have experienced Kusama's art once again. Even if it was only for a few moments.

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Also, just to be clear, the first image is not from the Mattress Factory, but was in the David Zwirner Gallery during late 2013. I'll get to her one day.

#NYC #art