“Yayoi Kusama. Infinito Presente” is the title of the extraordinary artistic and cultural event that will take place in Palazzo della Ragione in Bergamo, one of the oldest municipal buildings in Italy, from November 17, 2023, to March 24, 2024.
The exhibition, promoted by The Blank Contemporary Art and the Municipality of Bergamo, is part of the program of Bergamo Brescia Italian Capital of Culture 2023 and will feature one of the most iconic works of Yayoi Kusama: “Fireflies on the Water”, an infinity mirror room from the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, which will be shown for the first time in Italy.
The exhibition, curated by Stefano Raimondi, will offer visitors a unique immersive experience in the magical and visionary universe of the Japanese artist.
Discovering Yayoi Kusama’s World: Exhibition Journey
Yayoi Kusama is the most popular artist in the world according to a survey conducted by the prestigious magazine The Art Newspaper. The setting of the exhibition in Bergamo, curated by Maria Marzia Minelli, was designed to allow visitors to enter the imaginary world of the Japanese artist, discovering poems, videos and documents between physical and digital documentation.
The main installation, Fireflies on the Water, is at the center of the path: the work has the dimensions of a room and is meant to be enjoyed in solitude, one person at a time. Immersing themselves in a dark environment, equipped with mirrors on each side, the spectator will enter a new space, in the center of which they will find a pool of water, the symbol of quietness and meditation, in which a panoramic platform and 150 small lights hanging from the ceiling that resemble fireflies protrude. The space appears infinite, without top or bottom, beginning or end, in which to lose and find oneself.
Experiencing Kusama’s Magic: Dive into Fireflies on the Water
The artist Yayoi Kusama is known for her ability to create artistic installations of great impact and meaning by masterfully playing with the use of lights: Fireflies on the Water is an immersive and at the same time hallucinatory experience, that blends in its meaning many different cultural elements, from the myth of Narcissus to the Japanese landscape native to Kusama, to create an understanding of contemplation capable of bringing the public into a different and other dimension. Lights and sounds are the leading performers of this magic: the sensory game allows visitors to leave reality and live a unique experience of its kind.
The exhibition is part of ARTDATE, the Contemporary Art Festival organized by The Blank and Palazzo Monti in the cities of Bergamo and Brescia. You can book your tickets via the official website.