The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has added the Infinity Mirror Room by Yayoi Kusama to its collection.
The installation debuted in May last year at David Zwirner and garnered much public attention. Formally titled “Dreaming of Earth’s Sphericity, I Would Offer My Love”, the installation is a plethora of circular, stained glass cutouts in various colors. The room only allows natural lights to enter through these cutouts which are then reflected off each other, thereby representing the “infinity” in its name.
The reason behind SFMOMA acquiring this is plain as the day. Kusama is one of those artists who attract a crowd; it is not uncommon to see lines stretching across the block during her exhibitions. SFMOMA itself witnessed this when their recent Kusama exhibition “Infinite Love” saw 170,000 footfall.
The veteran artist, fast approaching a centenarian, remains as much a center of attention as ever; perhaps a bit too much. Last year, she was under fire for alleged anti-Black sentiments in her 2003 biography Infinity Net. The issue was reported by journalist Dexter Thomas, who noted that she used negative racial stereotypes about Black people not just in her biography but also in many other works. Kusama later publically apologized for her past behavior, saying: “I deeply regret using hurtful and offensive language in my book. My message has always been one of love, hope, compassion, and respect for all people.”
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While at the time it was thought that Yayoi Kusama might become yet another artist ‘canceled’, the acquisition by SFMOMA is a good indication that things are back on track for the iconic artist.
