TAMPA, FLA.- The Tampa Museum of Art opened the second in its exciting slate of Fall 2018 exhibitions focused on the theme of love. Sponsored by the Vinik Family Foundation, the Season of Love continues with Yayoi Kusama’s kaleidoscopic Infinity Room, LOVE IS CALLING, one of the artist’s iconic Infinity Rooms, on loan from the Collection of the Vinik Family Foundation.
An immersive, experiential work of art, LOVE IS CALLING invites visitors to enter a mirrored room with tentacle-like soft sculptures hanging from the ceiling and positioned on the floor. These forms glow with bright, changing colors, and feature Kusama’s signature polka dots. Visitors hear audio of the artist reciting a love poem in Japanese as they walk throughout the installation. The poem, titled Residing in a Castle of Shed Tears, reflects Kusama’s musings on love, life, and death, recurring themes in the artist’s work.
Of this exhibition, Joanna Robotham, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art says, “LOVE IS CALLING is a wonderful example of Yayoi Kusama’s explorations of love and life. For the past 60 years, Kusama has been admired for her innovative and groundbreaking performances, paintings, and installations. We are grateful for the Vinik Family Foundation’s generosity in sharing LOVE IS CALLING with the Tampa Museum of Art and providing us the opportunity to present the work of one of today’s most influential artists.”
Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1929) is one of today’s most recognized and celebrated artists. In addition to her widely popular Infinity Rooms, such as LOVE IS CALLING, Kusama creates vibrant paintings, works on paper, and sculpture with abstract imagery. Her artwork has been shown and collected by leading institutions across the globe, and she is considered the world’s most popular artist. A comprehensive retrospective, organized by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC, is currently travelling around the US and Canada. In October 2017, the Yayoi Kusama Museum opened in Tokyo. The artist lives and works in Tokyo.
Vinik Family Foundation (VFF) is a private foundation created and managed by Jeff and Penny Vinik. Founded in 1997, VFF has donated over $75 million to nonprofits working in the areas of education, human services, healthcare, and the arts. VFF is especially dedicated to broadening the public’s understanding of art through inclusive, interactive exhibits and installations. In August of 2016, VFF presented The Beach Tampa by Snarkitecture, an immersive art installation featuring a 10,000 square foot, all-white beach environment with an ‘ocean’ of 1.2 million recyclable white balls, in AMALIE Arena. Last summer, VFF hosted THE ART OF THE BRICK, the world's largest display of LEGO art, featuring more than 100 works of art by renowned contemporary artist Nathan Sawaya.
