AKI: Episode 2
The Summer of 2017 will definitely be a memorable season for those in the arts community. The city was full of art; the PNB’s Sculptured Dance, The Seattle Repertory’s production of The Odyssey, and even the Pacific Science Centers’, Terracotta Warriors, was found to be one of the top exhibits amongst artists, to name a few.
But, it was the Seattle Art Museum that provided the city with one of the most acclaimed exhibits, to date. Avid fans and new fans of Yayoi Kusama got to step into her world, by taking a walk through the “Infinity Mirrors” exhibit.
Visitors can immerse themselves in five of these kaleidoscopic environments where the viewer is endlessly reflected within fantastic landscapes — alongside examples from the artist’s beginnings: her mesmerizing and intimate drawings, her early Infinity Net paintings which grow on a canvas like cell formations, and her surreal sculptural objects covered with strange growth formations.
It was not the exhibit itself that inspired AKI, but the profound life of artist, Yayoi Kusama, herself. I closed my eyes and tried to visualize what a day in the life of Yayoi, or better yet, what the life of her mind may be like and that is how Aki (Japanese for Autumn) was created. I wasn’t necessarily inspired by her work, but the way her work told her story of resilience, survival mechanisms, and the overall state of her mental health.
“ I want to live hidden in the world that lies midway between mystery and symbol.”
This quote on room-Aftermath, perfectly sums up the inspiration behind our Autumn editorial. As seen in the video version of AKI, we follow an artist on a journey, but until now, you had your freedom to create the story behind this figure. Who is this person? Where is this person going?… Now, with more ‘explanation’ you can see the intent and even the beauty that lies within mental health.
