The Art Club: Kusama

Yayoi Kusama's polka dots, pumpkins and dizzying mirror spaces have made her one of the world's most recognizable -- and best-selling -- living artists. But the path to that position has been anything but straight.

The documentary “Kusama” paints a vivid portrait of the Japanese artist and follows her journey from a difficult upbringing in Japan during World War II to the art scene in 1960s New York and on to the international fame that took off in earnest late in her career. Along the way, Kusama battled both family resistance, mental illness, and an art world marked by sexism and racism.

At the same time, the film shows how Kusama has repeatedly shifted the boundaries between painting, sculpture, installation, performance, literature and self-staging. Her distinctive dots and endless repetitions have not only become pop cultural icons, but spring from a radical artistic vision in which the self seems dissolved into patterns, mirrors and spaces without end.

'Kusama' is the story of an uncompromising artist's life — and of an artist who, after more than six decades of work, saw the world finally catch up with her.

Directed by: Heather Lenz
Starring: Yayoi Kusama
Country/year: United States, 2018
Running time: 73 min.
Formato: DCP
Language: Danish subtitles
Age limit: Allowed for all
Original title: Kusama: Infinity

Part of the series: Featured Events October-December
Look forward to an autumn with lots of special cinematic experiences in Cinemateket. Among other things, meet Darkmates for movies with forbar, come to an evening with Linda Wendel - or (re) watch 'Blow-Up' on the occasion of the publication of a magazine about film and fashion.