Yayoi Kusama is celebrated globally for her ubiquitous dotted pumpkin-shaped sculptures along with her intricate large-scale installations and performances. The fact that the artist also makes collages is far less known. To remedy that the Barbara Mathes gallery in New York is staging ‘Collages: Wings in the Net Forest,’ which showcases nine of her delicate collages dating from the 1980s and 1990s.
As to what led the idiosyncratic Japanese artist to turn to collage, Mathes points out, ‘Kasuma was in daily contact with Joseph Cornell and no less than that creator of Surreal magical boxes gifted Kusama his collage materials right before his untimely death in 1972.’
Like Cornell, Kusuma explored entrapment and freedom. This is reflected in her 1996 Repetitive Vision - a delicate collage dotted with pumpkins in a forest in which the Japanese artist has included a figure of herself topped by an orange wizard hat, somewhat hidden. ‘There’s tension between being part of the landscape but seeking to escape,’ says Mathes.
All produced while she was in Japan, her other collages feature birds, sea creatures and insects, among them a fly. They’re part of her visual vocabulary and reveal a sense of mobility, but at the same time a loss of freedom. In some cases, the tones from a brilliant blue to an emerald green are radiant, and the forms themselves are intricately depicted, right down to the twigs of a bird’s nest. ‘Yes, they’re beautiful in terms of color and complexity but at the same time they’re haunting,’ says Mathes.
’Collages: Wings in the Net Forest,’ which showcases nine of her delicate collages dating from the 1980s and 1990s. Pictured: Repetitive Vision, 1996
Pictured: Bird,1980
Mathes points out, ‘Kasuma was in daily contact with Joseph Cornell and no less than that creator of Surreal magical boxes gifted Kusama his collage materials right before his untimely death in 1972.’ Pictured: In Forest, 1995
All produced while she was in Japan, her other collages feature birds, sea creatures and insects. Pictured: Bird,1981
The colour tones, from a brilliant blue to an emerald green, are radiant. Pictured: Mantis, 1981
The forms are also intricately depicted, right down to the twigs of a bird’s nest. Pictured: Bird, 1980
INFORMATION
‘Yayoi Kusama Collages: Wings in the Net Forest’ is on show until 9 January 2016
ADDRESS
Barbara Mathes Gallery
22 East 80th Street
New York
-
New York's members-only boom shows no sign of stopping — and it's about to get even more nicheFrom bathing clubs to listening bars, gatekeeping is back in a big way. Here's what's driving the wave of exclusivity
-
The diverse world of Belgian embassy design – 'style and class without exaggeration''Building for Belgium: Belgian Embassies in a Globalising World' offers a deep dive into the architecture representing the country across the globe – bringing context to diplomatic architecture
-
Pull up a bespoke pew at Milan’s new luxury perfumery Satinine, an homage to the city’s entrywaysDesigner Mara Bragagnolo fuses art deco details to bring storied Milanese fragrance brand Satinine into the 21st century
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the week'Tis the season for eating and drinking, and the Wallpaper* team embraced it wholeheartedly this week. Elsewhere: the best spot in Milan for clothing repairs and outdoor swimming in December
-
Nadia Lee Cohen distils a distant American memory into an unflinching new photo book‘Holy Ohio’ documents the British photographer and filmmaker’s personal journey as she reconnects with distant family and her earliest American memories
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekIt’s been a week of escapism: daydreams of Ghana sparked by lively local projects, glimpses of Tokyo on nostalgic film rolls, and a charming foray into the heart of Christmas as the festive season kicks off in earnest
-
Ed Ruscha’s foray into chocolate is sweet, smart and very AmericanArt and chocolate combine deliciously in ‘Made in California’, a project from the artist with andSons Chocolatiers
-
Inside the work of photographer Seydou Keïta, who captured portraits across West Africa‘Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens’, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, celebrates the 20th-century photographer
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekFrom sumo wrestling to Singaporean fare, medieval manuscripts to magnetic exhibitions, the Wallpaper* team have traversed the length and breadth of culture in the capital this week
-
María Berrío creates fantastical worlds from Japanese-paper collages in New YorkNew York-based Colombian artist María Berrío explores a love of folklore and myth in delicate and colourful works on paper
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAs we approach Frieze, our editors have been trawling the capital's galleries. Elsewhere: a 'Wineglass' marathon, a must-see film, and a visit to a science museum
