Digital Editions
Newsletters
Subscribe
Digital Editions
Newsletters
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Diary
blog

Yayoi Kusama's moving song about depression screened in Manchester

You, Me and the Balloons exhibition dazzles with giant dolls, tendrilled landscapes and comfy furniture

The Art Newspaper
29 June 2023
Share
Yayoi Kusama and Dots Obsession, 1996-2011 Installation view: The Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo. 

© Yayoi Kusama. Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro and David Zwirner.

Yayoi Kusama and Dots Obsession, 1996-2011 Installation view: The Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo.

© Yayoi Kusama. Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro and David Zwirner.

A crowdpleasing exhibition of inflatable works by Yayoi Kusama at Aviva Studios—the centrepiece of the Manchester International Festival (until 16 July)—is full of treats for those devoted to the polka-dot pioneer. You, Me and the Balloons (until 28 August) gratifies with giant dolls, tendrilled landscapes and comfy furniture (or sculptural forms) known as Clouds that visitors can sink into (this is truly immersive art). Another highlight is a rare video work showing the artist singing poignantly about her experience dealing with depression (Song of a Manhattan Suicide Addict, 2007). The words, translated from Japanese into English, are rather sobering, reflecting Kusama’s mental health issues: “Swallow antidepressants and it will be gone, Tear down the gate of hallucinations, Amidst the agony of flowers, the present never ends.” Manhattan Suicide is also the title of Kusama’s 1978 novel, written after she voluntarily moved into a psychiatric hospital in Tokyo. How does she cope with an obsessive-compulsive illness? “In my work, I’m giving a system to my life,” she has said, proving that art conquers all.

DiaryYayoi KusamaManchester International Festival
Share
Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox.
Newsletter sign-up
Information
About
Contact
Cookie policy
Data protection
Privacy policy
Frequently Asked Questions
Subscription T&Cs
Terms and conditions
Advertise
Sister Papers
Sponsorship policy
Follow us
Instagram
Bluesky
LinkedIn
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube
© The Art Newspaper

Related content

Diaryblog
12 April 2023

Free tickets for Yayoi Kusama M+ show get students talking about mental health

Kusama has lived as a voluntary resident at a mental health hospital in Tokyo for more than four decades

The Art Newspaper
Diaryblog
22 June 2021

Nature is healing: New York Botanical Garden finally opens Yayoi Kusama Infinity Room

The Art Newspaper
Diaryblog
17 April 2023

A message from Yayoi Kusama: ‘Let Us Sing Together a Song from the Heart of the Universe!’

Japanese artist issues upbeat missive to coincide with New York show featuring new Infinity Mirror Room

The Art Newspaper
Diaryblog
30 May 2024

Yayoi Kusama London summer bonanza with new Elizabeth Line work and a Royal Parks pumpkin sculpture

A new Infinity Room will also go on show at Victoria Miro gallery in the autumn

The Art Newspaper