Last year’s Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirrors exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario was so successful that their crowdfunding campaign to purchase a permanent exhibit of hers was met with so much love.
Click here to read my Photographic Guide to Kusama Yayoi’s Infinity Mirrors.
A year later, Toronto finds itself as the latest city to host a permanent exhibit of Yayoi Kusama’s. Named INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM – LET’S SURVIVE FOREVER, the room is almost double the size of some of last year’s exhibits, and brings together three former exhibits into one large mirrored room.
The permanent exhibit is placed inside the Signy Eaton North Gallery space on Level 2, where on the outside, an LCD screen lists all of the donors names.
You’ll get approx. 1min. to enjoy the room. While staff say that’s more than enough time, if you’re busy taking photographs, you’ll find that minute will fly by very quickly.
This is a permanent exhibit, which opens to the public on May 25th, 2019, so if you don’t get a chance to see the exhibit during its opening frenzy, not to worry as you will eventually get your chance. Donors to the art installation are able to preview the exhibit starting today.
I recommend first taking the time to enjoy the room as it were meant to be enjoyed—without the distraction of taking pictures and selfies. Then, experience the room again with your camera.
For those interested, I’ve written down my camera settings under each photo so hopefully this will help you in preparing to take your own photos. They were taken on my Nikon Z 7 and for the majority of my photos, at ISO400, 1/640sec., f/5.6, with my 14-24mm f/2.8 lens set at 14mm for that wide angle perspective.
Upon entering, a staff member will first remind you that no tripods or selfie-sticks are allowed, and that you will need to hand-hold everything close to your body to prevent anything from hitting those mirrored/silver balls. A group of four will be allowed to enter at one time, so you may end up being grouped with people you don’t know—especially during busy periods like at the opening of the exhibit.
With a large enough space to walk around in, Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room contains a smaller version of a supplementary installation that AGO had previously hosted, Narcissus Garden. Silver balls hang from the ceiling so pay close attention you don’t hit them during your walk.
A mirrored column in the centre of the room has several windows to peer through, providing a kaleidoscope of enjoyment, similar to another one of Kusama’s exhibits from last year—the ones without the flashing LED lights. These windows have a glass front, unlike those we saw last year. Be careful you don’t hit the glass with your camera or nose.
It’s a wonderful exhibit to experience, and I’m happy to have it permanently located at the Art Gallery of Ontario so that we literally have forever to enjoy it.
Let me know in the comments below what you thought about this exhibit.
