The show that I have been waiting for! Esp after having visited her= studio in Tokyo, seen her in person, and hearing so many BTS stories. I knew the show will be 'unconventional' from the get go - indeed, there's no over exposed pumpkin drawings, there's lots of early works (clearly inspired by Miro) that laid out critical backdrops to how she has reused those same motifs later, there are a few important videos of her years in NY, and there's lots of engaging story telling's around her relationship with Donald Judd (whom bought one of her first infinity nets), Joseph Cornell, etc. Last but not least, the show also took time to highlight how Kusama was a pioneer - as seen in her room-installation work 'One Thousand Boats' which anticipated Andy Warhol's cow wallpaper more than 3 years earlier.I find the exhibition fascinating - but for those that havent seen as much of Kusama's work, will the lack of more 'popular' aspects like works with polka dots, stuffed dolls, mirror pumpkins, colorful flower sculptures, etc., fail to build a connection with first time viewers of her work? Always a tough choice for curators - how to decide for a show between a well researched/academic slant vs. popularity based 'best of' curating?
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