The following is a transcript of the Forbes article linked below. Be sure to give them a click!
(CHICAGO, IL)—Just in time for summer travel plans, WNDR Museum, Chicago’s original immersive art and technology experience, will host the U.S. debut of Dots Obsession, a three-story immersive infinity installation by iconic artist Yayoi Kusama. Opening May 12, 2023, Yellow Dots Obsession features a series of floating yellow and black polka dots alongside walk-in and peep-in installations, offering visitors a fully immersive opportunity to contemplate Kusama’s obsession with polka dots, repetition, celestial bodies, and the idea of infinity.
According to David Allen, Creative Director of WNDR Museum, Dots Obsession is not only “stunning, surprisingly fun, and one of Kusama’s most renowned pieces of art,” it also offers visitors “a powerful example of what Kusama’s been able to accomplish.” Allen goes on to explain that her work is driven by her ambition “to directly face the limitlessness of the universe—to do so from her own position within it.” Kusama, he notes, views herself “as a single dot: one particle amongst billions. What was initially on canvas, quickly took over by covering the walls, the ceiling and eventually ‘the whole universe’.” While this process has become Kusama’s signature, Allen articulates it is also “her way of coping. Her way of processing her own mental illnesses.”
Allen is eager for visitors to experience the site-specific nature of Dots Obsession at WNDR Chicago, as he explains that while the installation is all-encompassing, it also lets visitors zoom in on a granular level. “You’re surrounded by giant dots within a three story atrium, but you’re also able to look into one of the dots and see a microcosm of infinity. And finally, the largest one is an actual infinity room. There is no focal point. There is no center. It’s just you, immersed within the expansiveness and interconnectedness of Kusama’s themes: accumulation, repetition, self-obliteration, and the idea of infinity.”
The installation of Yellow Dots Obsession is the latest iteration in WNDR Museum’s commitment to making fine art accessible and approachable—helping visitors experience art in new and immersive ways. Since WNDR’s inception in 2018, the museum’s US locations have hosted a number of Kusama installations, notably her masterpiece, Let’s Survive Forever. When asked about WNDR’s ongoing commitment to showcasing the works of Kusama, President of WNDR Global Ryan Kunkel stated, “Yoyoi Kusama is arguably the most prolific living artist of our time. She’s been a disruptor, pioneer and cultural icon for decades. What Kusama represents is deeply aligned with WNDR’s mission…showcasing her works to this generation of creators is truly a privilege…We strive to ignite curiosity through our ever-evolving experience and be a hub for artists, technologists, educators, makers, poets and makers in the communities that we serve.”
