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Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist (born 1928) known for her interest in psychedelic color, repetition, and patterns, especially the polka-dot.   Her best known works are mirrored rooms which explore infinite space, the rooms are typically cube shaped, clad with mirrors, water on the floor and flickering lights, and repeated objects (notably a polka-dot encrusted pumpkin). In 1977, Kusama checked herself into the Seiwa Hospital for the Mentally Ill where she eventually took up permanent residence and still lives and works today.

In 2017, the Hirshhorn will be holding a major retrospective of her work, including 6 mirrored rooms (although their website doesn't currently have much info posted).  More info from The City Paper. 

Kusama has a huge following and this will be a major, lines-around-the-block exhibition, which will garner international press coverage.    

Photo from the Kusama show at the Victoria Miro Gallery, London.

Kusama.jpg

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23 hours ago, Tweaked said:

Kusama has a huge following and this will be a major, lines-around-the-block exhibition, which will garner international press coverage.    

The Hirshhorn, despite its construction, seems to have taken a major step up recently, and is one of the elite museums in DC (I mean, it always has been, but I think it's moved up to an even higher echelon).

May 4, 2016 - "Hirshhorn's 'Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors' is the First Exhibition to Span Five Decades of the Artist's Immersive Installations" on newsdesk.si.edu

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The Hirshhorn is now releasing free timed passes.  Looks like they are releasing them online every Monday at noon (edit:  at 12:03 pm looks like their website has crashed).

Free Advance Timed Passes

Reserve free Timed Passes for Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors to plan your day and enjoy the ease of a guaranteed time slot. Advance Timed Passes will be released online every Monday at noon for each subsequent week. A limited number of same-day Walk-Up Timed Passes will be available at the Museum.

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They might want to rename the exhibition Yayoi Kusama:  Infinite Lines. 

When we left the Hirshhorn there were lines to get into the museum, lines to enter the exhibit, and lines to enter the mirrored rooms.  Lines that snaked from gallery to gallery, at times we weren't even sure what line we were standing in.  My advice, go on a week day morning and go early.  We went opening Saturday and the Hirshhorn was packed.  I don't think the staff was prepared and apparently they are going to make adjustments on ticket allotments.     

It is a wonderful exhibit, not only for the rooms, but also Kusama's other body of work. 

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Couldn't agree more about the lines. We went today, Monday, and one of the exhibits was already closed for maintenance, the museum was overheated and the exhibit was overrun and entry to the infinity rooms was allocated at 20 or 30 seconds and always paired with another person. And still, the lines were impossibly long. Hopefully the staff will figure out logistics. Wait until that happens.

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We went on Friday - I got the passes for 10 AM, and we were in line at 9:30. There were lines, but it wasn't that hideous. Looked pretty congested by the time we left though. Go early, have passes, get there early seems to be the way to go.

It was beautiful, and I very much want some of those sculptures from the "My Eternal Soul" pieces.

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46 minutes ago, Pool Boy said:

Went again recently at the bar after an aborted attempt to see the YAYOI KUSAMA INFINITY MIRRORS (my wife's a Smithsonian employee, and this was an employee only access time and it was MOBBED). I ended up having their burger and it was quite, quite good. And, if you have not had their Rick Flair cocktail, you really should try it. Mmmmm.

I really suggest that people do the smart thing: Give up on this exhibit, at least for now, and go to any of the fifty other exhibits in DC worth seeing.

Unless I get the entire room to myself for ten minutes (ain't happening), I have *no* desire to go see this, especially when I already know pretty much what it will be like.

This is a prime example of hype over substance - I'm not saying the substance isn't there; merely that it's also at dozens of other exhibits - how many people went to see Robert Irwin last summer? For those who missed it, but are standing in line for the Kusama exhibit, I feel sorry for you.

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7 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

I really suggest that people do the smart thing: Give up on this exhibit, at least for now, and go to any of the fifty other exhibits in DC worth seeing.

Unless I get the entire room to myself for ten minutes (ain't happening), I have *no* desire to go see this, especially when I already know pretty much what it will be like.

This is a prime example of hype over substance - I'm not saying the substance isn't there; merely that it's also at dozens of other exhibits - how many people went to see Robert Irwin last summer? For those who missed it, but are standing in line for the Kusama exhibit, I feel sorry for you.

No doubt there is great stuff to see out there other than this, We just thought we would get lucky by getting there for employees only access. The glass hall full perspective was a nice dinner instead. It all worked out.

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11 minutes ago, Pool Boy said:

No doubt there is great stuff to see out there other than this, We just thought we would get lucky by getting there for employees only access. The glass hall full perspective was a nice dinner instead. It all worked out.

(I was absolutely not targeting you, btw - I would have tried the exact same thing during an employee-only time-slot that you did. Yours is a cautionary tale that just goes to show how bad the problem really is.)

This really isn't all that different than spending an hour in line at Little Serow or Rose's Luxury when there are bar seats open at Kinship, and that's no bust on Little Serow or Rose's Luxury.

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