Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms – Tate Modern, London

A review of Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms at Tate Modern. You may have heard the hype – is the mirror room experience worth the trouble of procuring tickets?

A Hot Ticket

Maybe you’ve seen the Infinity Mirror Rooms at Tate Modern already. Maybe you have tickets. Or maybe you’ve tried multiple times to get your hands on tickets and still haven’t managed it. There are a multitude of opinions and experiences on the subject. Personally, I was able to get a ticket in one of the drops late last year, but only because my computer waited patiently in a virtual queue overnight and into the following day. And even then, only because I was willing to pay for a ticket + lunch combo pack – a late morning viewing followed by a two course lunch in the Tate’s upstairs restaurant. In the end this wasn’t a bad thing, far from it. But it did leave me wondering. What’s all the fuss about? I have had a few months to ponder this so here are my thoughts.

1. People are desperate for experiences. As some of you know very well from my blog, lockdowns had the effect of sending me into a spiral of desperation to do anything new and interesting. I am far from the only one, and there is a pent-up demand for authentic, in-person experiences.
2. It’s social media friendly. The visual effects of Yayoi Kusama’s art are perfect for Instagram etc. This draws in a broader audience than might usually be up for something like this.
3. FOMO. Linked to point number 1 above, there are many people who have serious Fear of Missing Out when it comes to new, cool things to do. And there is a vicious cycle when it comes to ticket scarcity – the more it’s reported that something is hard to get into, the more people want to get their hands on a ticket. The two crazy queues I’ve been in in the last year or so were for the gardens of Buckingham Palace (nice, but ultimately a garden) and the Infinity Rooms. On both occasions, there has been widespread hype about ticket chaos on social and news media. And on both occasions, I was one of tens of thousands waiting to get in and see what was left for me to buy.

Let’s get stuck in, then, to answer the question: does it live up to the hype?

Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms

For those are unfamiliar with her work, let me start with a short precis on Yayoi Kusama. Born in 1929 in Matstumoto, Nagano, Japan, she is now 93 years of age. She began her artistic training in a traditional Japanese style. The American Abstract Expressionist scene drew her to New York in 1958. Throughout the 1960s she was very involved in the avant-garde, Pop Art and performance art scenes. Kusama returned to Japan in 1973, and in 1977 checked herself into a mental health facility where she has since taken up permanent residence. She has been open about her struggles with mental health, and the importance of her art to maintaining a balance in her life.

Kusama is famous for the polka dot. Perhaps also the pumpkin. Her art definitely has an immediately recognisable quality. And an experiential quality too. Maybe this comes out of all the ‘happenings’ she staged in the 1960s. But the viewer is often an active participant, as they are here. Because the concept of the Infinity Mirror Rooms, as well as the set up, is simple. There is a room with mirrored walls, and something inside which creates captivating reflections, extending off into infinity. They explore themes like grief, life and death. And they can also be exquisitely beautiful, hence the Instagrammers. In the Tate exhibition there are two: Chandelier of Grief and Infinity Mirrored Room – Filled With the Brilliance of Life.

As well as the mirror rooms themselves, there is an introductory biography of the artist; and some videos and photographs of other works. Including a very interesting slide projection of Walking Piece, documenting her experience as a Japanese woman in New York in 1966. Together they give a brief but fairly well-rounded view of Kusama’s work as a whole.

So. Is It Worth It?

I think the answer here is yes and no. In the interests of full disclosure, this aren’t my first Kusama Infinity Mirror Rooms. In January 2020 I spent a weekend in Pittsburgh, and went to the Mattress Factory art museum. They have two infinity rooms by Kusama. The blog and I were on a break back then so I can’t point you to a detailed post. But suffice it to say the experience was very different. I decided to visit the museum on a whim, bought my ticket (which included the Kusama rooms), and just wandered in. Visitors were self-regulated, with just a sign outside suggesting maximum occupancy.

Compare that to the Tate, where there is a sign outside saying it’s sold out until September 2022, and attendants to shepherd you in and then out again after what feels like a very short time. They have to do this, otherwise the queues for the rooms would be lengthy to say the least. But it makes it less about engaging with the art and more about checking off that you’ve ‘done’ each component.

The part that was unexpectedly delightful was the lunch at the end. As I said above, it wasn’t entirely by choice that I bought a ticket + lunch combo. That’s just what was left. But sitting down to a delicious meal with a wonderful view (see last image above) made the day out at the Tate feel very special. We could chat about what we’d seen, and watch London life passing by below us. I don’t think I would have enjoyed my experience as much without this post-script to it.

So if social media hype and everyone taking pictures (yes, including me) isn’t for you, give this a miss. If you already have your ticket, take as much time as you can to soak in the art and I think you will enjoy it. And if you’re in Pittsburgh or one of the other quiet places to enjoy an Infinity Mirror Room, treasure what you’ve got!

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3.5/5

Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms currently booking until 30 September 2022