Known for her polka dot-infested art and her signature bright orange bob, avant-garde Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama is finally opening her very own museum! ?
Credit: High Museum of Art, Atlanta on Facebook
After three long years, the mysterious all-white building that was completed by architecture firm Kumei Sekkei in 2014 is revealed to be the Polka Dot Queen's very own museum. Yayoi had commissioned the building years ago, but had purposely kept her plans a secret as a surprise for her fans.
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At a grand age of 88 years old, Yayoi continues to push boundaries with her art, which she pursues as a form of therapy for the visual and aural hallucinations she experienced as a child.
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Located in the heart of Shinjuku, Tokyo, the Yayoi Kusama museum is a far cry from the sparse room in a mental institution that she has voluntarily checked herself in 1977. Standing at five-storeys tall, the candle-like building includes ground floor entrance which would also house a gift shop, followed by two floors filled with stand alone art. The fourth floor is reserved for the immersive installations Yayoi is most known for. The fifth and topmost floor will be used to store archives of Kusama-related documents and an outdoor terrace.
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The museum plans to host two rotating exhibitions annually, and will open on October 1st, 2017. The inaugural exhibition titled “Creation is a Solitary Pursuit, Love is What Brings You Closer to Art”, and tickets will go on sale August 28 for 1.5hour slot visits to the museum. Tickets are priced at 1,000yen (approximately USD$10) for general admission.
Address: 107 Bentencho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Opening hours: 11:00am – 5:00pm, Closed Monday – Wednesday