Opening March 9, 2023, LOVE IS CALLING is the most immersive and kaleidoscopic of the artist’s famed Infinity Mirror Rooms.
(MIAMI, FL — February 16, 2023) — Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is pleased to present Yayoi Kusama: LOVE IS CALLING, the most immersive and kaleidoscopic of the artist’s renowned Infinity Mirror Rooms. The exhibition will be on view from March 9, 2023 to February 11, 2024. LOVE IS CALLING is the artist’s largest environment to date—embodying the culmination of Kusama’s artistic feats, the show incorporates her signature polka dots and bold colors, the spoken word, and limitless reflections that double as optical illusions.
“We are honored to offer this experience to our audience as Kusama is an iconic artist with an important career trajectory. She has been creating works that are lively, thoughtful, and introspective, which have been enjoyed by viewers for over six decades and will certainly be enjoyed by our Miami audience,” said PAMM Associate Curator Jennifer Inacio.
Viewers will enter a darkened, mirrored room illuminated by inflatable, tentacle-like forms that extend from the floor and ceiling, gradually changing colors. As visitors walk through the installation, a sound recording of Kusama reciting a love poem in Japanese plays continuously. Written by the artist, the poem’s title translates to Residing in a Castle of Shed Tears. Exploring enduring themes including life and death, the poem poignantly expresses Kusama’s hope to spread a universal message of love through her art.
“We are thrilled to showcase LOVE IS CALLING at Pérez Art Museum Miami, a perfect home for a work that connects people from all walks of life,” said PAMM Director Franklin Sirmans.
This is the first time the legendary artist has exhibited at PAMM. As Miami’s flagship art museum, PAMM is committed to showcasing 20th and 21st-century international modern and contemporary art. By presenting LOVE IS CALLING, the museum honors its mission of creating genuine human interaction, communication, and exchange for Miami’s diverse audiences through art.
Yayoi Kusama is one of the world’s most recognized and celebrated artists today. Her work has transcended two of the most notable art movements of the late twentieth century: Pop art and Minimalism. Her nearly seven-decade seminal career spans painting, performance, large-scale presentations, outdoor sculptural installations, literary pieces, films, fashion, and design. Featured globally in solo and group presentations, Kusama established herself in New York and presented groundbreaking events and exhibitions.
EXHIBITION RELATED EVENTS
Museum Circle: Kusama and Coffee
March 9, 10am–1pm
Join us for a first look at Yayoi Kusama: LOVE IS CALLING with PAMM Associate Curator Jennifer Inacio. Mingle with fellow art enthusiasts and enjoy complimentary coffee, tea, and breakfast bites before immersing in Kusama’s iconic installation. Exclusively for Museum Circle members. Become a member here.
Member Preview
March 9, 1–6pm
PAMM members are invited to preview the highly-anticipated exhibition before it opens to the public. Exclusively for PAMM members. Become a member here.
Thursdays at PAMM: Yayoi Kusama: LOVE IS CALLING Opening Celebration
March 9, 5–9pm
Meet us on the PAMM Beach to celebrate the opening of Yayoi Kusama: LOVE IS CALLING with a Floating Film in collaboration with Ballyhoo Media and live music by Backroom Sessions! In celebration of the new exhibition, we will screen the 2018 documentary, Kusama: Infinity. The top-selling female artist in the world, Yayoi Kusama, overcame impossible odds to bring her radical artistic vision to the world stage. People are experiencing her installation Infinity Mirrored Rooms, as she continues to create new work every day. Backroom Sessions will provide live music by Lotus Collective before the documentary begins.
Access to the PAMM terrace and beach are free with RSVP. Admission to the galleries is $16 for adults and free for PAMM members.
Member Appreciation Lounge: Kaleidoscope
March 9, 6–9pm
Members are invited to join us on the terrace for an evening of light bites and cocktails inspired by Yayoi Kusama: LOVE IS CALLING. Catch up with each other and enjoy the evening’s programs in and out of the lounge. We encourage members to wear colorful statement pieces and any Yayoi Kusama flair (pins, buttons, shirts, totes etc.) to reflect the kaleidoscope of individuals that make up our art community of art lovers. Exclusively for PAMM members. Become a member here.
PAMM Free Second Saturdays: Yayoi Kusama
April 8, 11am–3pm
As part of PAMM Free Second Saturdays, enjoy a riveting Japanese Taiko drum performance, by Fushu Daiko, along with free art making outside on PAMM’s beautiful, waterfront terrace. Admission is free all day. Art activities from 11am–3pm.
ABOUT YAYOI KUSAMA
Born in Matsumoto, Japan in 1929, Yayoi Kusama began her artistic education at the Kyoto School of Arts and Crafts. There, she studied Nihonga, a style of formal, traditional Japanese painting that emerged in the Meiji period (1868–1912). Following six solo exhibitions in Japan during her early artistic career, Kusama moved to New York in 1958, inspired by the rise of Abstract Expressionism in the United States. She was one of the first Japanese artists of her generation to make this move, and her early mobility, combined with her openly acknowledged history of mental illness, contributed to a highly visible, eccentric public persona.
Kusama represented Japan at the Venice Biennale in 1993. She has been the subject of international touring exhibitions organized by institutions such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, New York (1998); Le Consortium, Dijon, France (2000); National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (2004); and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam (2008); as well as a major retrospective shown at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Tate Modern, London; and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2011–12). The artist has won numerous awards and honors, including the Asahi Prize (2001), French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2003), and 18th Praemium Imperiale award for painting (2006). Kusama was the subject of Near Equal Yayoi Kusama: I Adore Myself (2008), a documentary film by Takako Matsumoto.
ABOUT PAMM
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), led by Director Franklin Sirmans, promotes artistic expression and the exchange of ideas, advancing public knowledge and appreciation of art, architecture, and design, and reflecting the diverse community of its pivotal geographic location at the crossroads of the Americas. The nearly 40-year-old South Florida institution, formerly known as Miami Art Museum (MAM), opened a new building, designed by world-renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron, on December 4, 2013 in Downtown Miami’s Maurice A. Ferré Park. The facility is a state-of-the-art model for sustainable museum design and progressive programming and features 200,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor program space with flexible galleries; shaded outdoor verandas; a waterfront restaurant and bar; a museum shop; and an education center with a library, media lab, and classroom spaces.
