"Infinity Mirrors" by Yayao Kusama

I recently had the privilege of seeing an exhibit by the rock star of the art world, Yayao Kusama. The reason I say “rock star” is because tickets to this exhibit, though not nearly as expensive as concert tickets, are almost as difficult to obtain. I am really lucky (I cannot emphasize that enough) my husband was patient enough, and able to set aside the time (though he may have still been working in the background) while being held in a 45 minute queue to get tickets to this exhibit. His perseverance paid off and he snagged the last two tickets for a Labor Day weekend viewing. I am also grateful to my supervisor for allowing me to leave work early so we were able to squeeze that into our weekend plans.

The exhibit, “Infinity Mirrors” opened in early July and runs through the end of September at the Cleveland Museum of Art. It is my understanding that the exhibit has consistently sold out since opening day. According to the July 2018 issue of Ohio magazine, “Museum crowds have grown so large that visitors are now limited to 20 to 30 seconds in each of the rooms.” Having now been through them all, I can attest that that’s certainly true. Perhaps by only getting a quick glimpse inside each room you’re better able to appreciate them than if you were allowed to linger indefinitely. I do think the museum made the right decision to limit your time inside. Though art lovers aren’t necessarily prone to violence, I wouldn’t be above knocking loudly on the door and reminding those inside that others are waiting (like being on the other side of the bathroom door I suppose). By the way, volunteers holding i-pads with timers are the ones tasked with keeping the flow of visitors at a steady rate. However, you could treat it like an amusement park and keep getting back in line if you’re so inclined.

Having read the article in Ohio magazine and drooled over the fabulous photos of some of the rooms, my question is, how difficult was it for the photographer to take a photo inside a room where there is no hiding your reflection? I’m assuming quite a lot of Photoshopping took place.

As far as the exhibit itself there’s about 6 or 7 rooms (in addition to some art work on the walls and several sculptures), most of which you can take photos inside, if you’re quick. Otherwise, you need to leave any purses or bags in a box outside each room. They’re certainly not taking any chances on damage occurring to these delicate creations.

It’s hard to say which room was my favorite as they all had their charms – from the room that looked like it was overflowing with Victoria Secret dogs (the colors are similar) to the room with all the funky pumpkins or the disco room where the lights changed colors.

I also liked the funky multi-colored room covered entirely in stickers.  One of the volunteers handed each of us a small sheet of stickers to make our own contribution to the room (ceiling off limits though), after which we handed back the empty sheet so no one tried to sneak out and put stickers on any of the art.

So if you’re in the Cleveland area and have access to a phone to book tickets (and a credit card with at least a $30 limit), I strongly encourage you to visit this exhibit.