Past screening

Kusama – Infinity

Directed by: Heather Lenz
Runtime: 1hr 18min Year: 2018
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Details

Directed by: Heather Lenz
Runtime: 1hr 18min Year: 2018
Country: United States

The life story of the cosmic, fearless artist Yayoi Kusama is told here in the words of the artist herself - still a radical force in her ninth decade.

‘I convert the energy of life into dots of the universe’ – Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama’s engrossing and kaleidoscopic show Yayoi Kusama: Sculptures, Paintings & Mirror Rooms took hold of London for a whole summer in 2016; queues flooded the Victoria Miro gallery and mirror room selfies clogged up Instagram feeds. Against such hype, it would be hard to imagine this 89-year-old artist once struggling to get recognition, support or credit for her work. But, as Kusama – Infinity reveals, every artist has their struggle.

In this compelling documentary, director Heather Lenz tells Kusama’s story from childhood to present day, in the words of the artist herself. Kusama candidly discusses how her cosmic and obsessive art practice is generated from childhood trauma, and reveals the chronic depression she suffered after well-known artists remodelled her work in their name.

Mapping out the history of contemporary art through Kusama, director Heather Lenz offers a bright perspective on a world that finally recognises the power of this fearless artist – who continues to furnace her insatiable radicalism right into her ninth decade.