When mentioning the internationally acclaimed contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama, it is easy to think of her most iconic creative symbols, “polka dots” and “pumpkins,” and her works are almost celebrated all over the world. However, recently, at the Bonhams “Modern and Contemporary Art Auction” in Hong Kong, a highly rare abstract work by Yayoi Kusama, “Infinity,” made its first appearance, attracting the attention of many collectors!
Rare of “Infinity”
“Infinity” was created in 1995 and has never been revealed to this day.
The painting is large in size, nearly two meters high, and uses a combination of deep red and black. When viewed from a distance, the vertical screen is clearly divided into two halves, forming two deep dark red areas; when viewed up close, the dense wave points on the right side and the interwoven net patterns on the left side are more clearly distinguishable. This work “Infinite” not only presents her extremely unique artistic style, but also cleverly combines her two most representative symbols – “wave points” and “infinite nets” on the same screen.
In fact, for the past half century since the 1950s, her pure abstract paintings often only select one as the theme, without both appearing at the same time; it is also the first time in the auction market that Yayoi Kusama’s pure abstract paintings combining “polka dots” and “infinite nets” have appeared simultaneously, the rarity of which is self-evident and highly collectible.
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The duality of “Infinity”
When looking at artworks, we are often led by prices or the market, but setting aside these factors to appreciate this rare masterpiece, we must return to the art itself.
First of all, this work only uses red and black, which is a color combination often used by Yayoi Kusama in her “Infinity Nets” series during her time in New York, highlighting the important role of red and black in her creative career. In fact, the “nets” she created in the United States in the 1960s were all black backgrounds with red lines outlining the nets, so when you look closely at the pattern, it feels like a hand-knitted sweater; however, this “Infinity” is different from her usual style, using red as the background and outlining the net pattern in the gaps, making the net pattern feel more delicate, distinct, and three-dimensional, adding to the uniqueness of this work.
However, this kind of left-right split composition is extremely rare in Yayoi Kusama’s works. Upon closer inspection, you can also see the connection between the “polka dots” and the “infinite net.” The border twists and turns, adding a sense of rhythm and dimensionality to the originally relatively calm dot pattern, giving the work a unique personality. “This division is neither a straight line nor a large diagonal angle, making its duality more unique and organic, like life and cells, nurturing and constantly changing. And although its division and concave-convex positions may seem asymmetrical, they can still make people feel the balance between the two sides.” Marcello Kwan (Head of Modern & Contemporary Art) said.
When looking at works filled with simple “polka dots” or “infinite nets”, there is actually no focal point in the painting, any position can be the center, which is the cleverness of her work. However, “Infinite” captures people’s attention with its unique left-right composition method, not only rich in interest and openness, but also containing profound philosophical implications. It reveals the issue of binary opposition, such as east-west, existence-nonexistence, virtual-real, light-heavy, positive-negative and other relative phenomena; at the same time, the mutual approach of the left and right sides in the painting also symbolizes the possibility of seeking consensus, integration, and coexistence. This composition is thought-provoking, leading viewers to interpret and think about its meaning from multiple perspectives.
Marcello Kwan exclaimed, “This is where Yayoi Kusama excels, being able to incorporate both conceptual art and expressive elements in the same image; and between minimalism and simplicity, it can also engage you in a dialogue, so this piece brings together many different concepts in one.“
The abstractness and writability of symbols
Sparse symbols, although they are her painting pattern and style, actually cannot be separated from her “casualness.” “She paints without a plan, so she is very free when painting. The interesting part of her work is precisely her spontaneous and casual nature, adding a sense of writing to the work: the irregular dots are like cursive or calligraphy, and her painting process is a practice, writing about the transition of time, about practice, about the inner self, feeling her own existence in this action and process.”
So, whether it’s “polka dots” or “infinite nets,” they are closely linked to her growth and life experiences; and it is through constantly obsessively painting “polka dots” and “infinite nets” that she gains the motivation for peace and survival. Therefore, when viewers gaze at these works, they seem to be able to penetrate beyond the surface symbols, straight to her true feelings and spiritual appearance deep within her heart. It can be seen that “Infinity” is a perfect presentation of her personal mental state, experiences, and worldview, becoming a precious “self-portrait of life,” or a “biography” written in symbols and colors.
“In fact, the most important thing in a work at the end is to delete unnecessary things to make the work simpler and purer. This is the height of art. Kusama is a very special painter, she is not explaining anything, but she is presenting the world as she sees it. This ‘Infinity’ is different from her pumpkin works, she leaves behind the purest elements of the concept, I think this is the ultimate refinement.” Marcello Kwan said.
