[Ota Fine Arts Singapore] YAYOI KUSAMA: RECENT PAINTINGS

In 2018, Kusama started working intensively on a series of 100 x 100 cm paintings. Subsequently in 2019, she began making these paintings in monochrome. Unlike other paintings of the same series which are usually covered in bright, vibrant colours, these works feature bold black lines that envelop the canvas together with her wealth of varied motifs: eyes, faces, biomorphic shapes, nets and dots. 

These recent paintings synthesize contrasting concepts and forms of positive and negative spaces, figuration and abstraction, microscopic and macroscopic views of the universe. Non-uniformed brushstrokes have left some parts of the canvas untouched by black paint and the resulting white spaces create a shifting movement and flow. Unknowingly, viewers are swept up in a dynamic and voluminous energy.

In CLOUDS (2019), stainless steel cloud-like shapes surround the floors of the gallery. They echo, reflect, and complement the lines in Kusama’s paintings, creating at once an expansive yet immersive atmosphere that allows for imagination beyond the walls of the gallery. Here, Kusama’s interest in reflection, repetition and accumulation is exemplified.

As Yayoi Kusama continues to expand her creative vocabulary, this exhibition in Ota Fine Arts Singapore is exemplary of her continuous innovation, uncompromising vision and compelling charm that captivates people all around the world.