About

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama is an international phenomenon. Her beguiling creations and unique perspective, irrepressibly expressed across a career of more than 60 years, have made her a pre-eminent figure in 21st century contemporary art.

A focused survey of Kusama's vast body of work since the 1950s, 'Life is the Heart of a Rainbow' explores her key motifs, her engagement with the body, and her conception of space.

It includes early painterly experiments, a multi-decade presentation of her celebrated 'net' paintings, performance, soft-sculpture, assemblage, the iconic 'infinity rooms' and large-scale installations of her later career. It culminates in an encompassing presentation of Kusama's most recent paintings from the visually arresting 'My Eternal Soul' series (2009 – ongoing).

During the exhibition, Kusama’s iconic work in Gallery's Collection Narcissus Garden (1966/2002) is on display in the Watermall at QAG, and the Children's Art Centre at GOMA hosts the immersive interactive The obliteration room (2002 – ongoing), a collaboration between the artist and QAGOMA which debuted at ‘The 4th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’ and has since been experienced by more than five million people at venues around the world.

'Yayoi Kusama: Life is the Heart of a Rainbow’ is a collaboration between National Gallery Singapore and Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia

Funding for insurance has also been provided through the Queensland Government Exhibition Indemnification Scheme, administered by Arts Queensland.

Works in this exhibition are protected under the Australian Government’s Protection of Cultural Objects on Loan Act 2013. Find out more