YAYOI KUSAMA: INFINITY MIRRORSBehind The Bend
Company Holiday parties seem to be the new status symbol for the corporate world. From extravagant galas to lavish dinners, companies seem to be going all out for their Holiday outings. For us, we wanted to think outside the box and do an outing that was exciting but wouldn’t break the bank. This took a bit of thought, but we finally landed on an event that wouldn’t disappoint: the Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors exhibition!
A few months back, The Broad Museum in Downtown Los Angeles released tickets for this exhibition. The demand for those tickets was immense and the online ticket purchasing system gave us flashbacks to the stress of buying passes for Coachella (ugh.) Conveniently for us (and for our lack of Holiday party plans,) we somehow were able to get our hands on tickets for our entire team for the end of December. Attending one of the most popular Museum exhibits of 2017 for our Holiday outing couldn't have been a better fit for Bend, so our team was just a tad excited!
To kick the day off, we had a wonderful lunch at Bottega Louie and enjoyed tons of carbs in all forms (including their famous Chocolate Soufflé!) After eating our weight in frites and macarons, we rolled ourselves up Grand Avenue to The Broad for the highlight of the day. If you aren’t familiar with The Broad Museum, it has become a focal point of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles over the past few years with multiple blockbuster exhibitions that are popular with the Instagram obsessed millennial crowd - and the Infinity Mirrors exhibition is no exception.
Upon entering the first floor galleries we were guided through a maze of various artworks by Kusama. Kusama’s work features repetitive patterns, specifically polka dots, that captivate the viewer. The dot motif is repeated in almost all of her work in the exhibition and directly relates to Kusama’s obsession with life, death, and the beauty of the surreal. The most recognizable works are her Infinity Rooms, which there are four of in the exhibition, that immerse the viewer in an visually infinite mirrored room. The concept of endless repetition is unbelievable and allows the viewer to escape into the abyss that is Kusama’s mind.
Our entire team was thrilled by the experience and couldn’t have been happier to celebrate the Holidays by learning about (and taking Instagrams of) this exhibition! Unfortunately, the exhibition is closing at The Broad on January 1st, but will move to the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto and then to the Cleveland Museum of Art. If you have a chance to purchase tickets, don’t second guess yourself, this exhibit is absolutely worth it!
