Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors by Mika Yoshitake

Mallory by Frere-Jones Type is the typeface used for Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors, designed by Miko McGinty. Published by the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and DelMonico Books, this is the first publication to focus on Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms.

Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors was the companion guide to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden’s exhibition which celebrated the legendary Japanese artist’s 65-year career and was one of 2017’s essential art experiences.

From DelMonico Books:

World-renowned Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has worked in a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, performance art, and installation. Kusama’s iconic Infinity Mirror Rooms, which originated with Phalli’s Field in 1965, situate viewers in kaleidoscopic spaces filled with multicolored lights or whimsical forms. These mirror-lined installations reflect endlessly, distorting rooms to project the illusion of infinite space. Over the years, the works have come to symbolize different modalities within the various contexts they have inhabited, from Kusama’s “self-obliteration” in the Vietnam War era to her more harmonious aspirations in the present. By examining her early unsettling installations alongside her more recent ethereal atmospheres, this volume aims to historicize the body of work amidst the resurgence of experiential practices within the global landscape of contemporary art. Generously illustrated, this publication invites readers to examine the series’ impact over the course of the artist’s career. Accompanying essays, an interview with the artist, and a scholarly chronology round out the book.