Expanding upon
her lifelong obsession with the dissolution of the self into the infinite,
Yayoi Kusama created “Aftermath of Obliteration
of Eternity” the year of her 80th birthday. Viewers are invited to step
into the room and stand on the central platform. Over time a delicate,
shimmering mirage unfolds, as an array of lights ignites and is mirrored on
every surface of the all-encompassing environment. In less than a minute,
however, all light disappears, and then the cycle starts anew.

Kusama
explains: “Life is what I always try to understand—its depths and its
mystique of rise and fall. I struggle for it throughout my life. From day to
day, I understand the greatness brought by this mystique as well as that love
is eternal and keeps appearing and disappearing. And what is more, I am very
pleased to be alive after realizing that I have overcome this everyday life and
been able to reach today. Yet we keep flashing, disappearing, and again
blossoming out in this Eternity.”