Clapham Buzz

Whenever a London exhibition of legendarily prolific proportions comes to town, you know that not only is it going to be amazing, but it’s also going to be jam packed with like-minded enthusiasts as well. With an 88 year history, the Yayoi Kusama London Art Exhibition looks tipped to be the biggest fixture this decade (so far at least). The avant-garde octogenarian has done a lot with her time on earth; from rubbing shoulders with Andy Warhol to challenging East-West perceptions of art. Until June 5^th 2012, the Tate Modern plays venue to the London exhibition. Properties London and the world over would be so lucky to host such a seminal artist of the pop culture movement; exhibition halls in London were said to vie for the function but the Tate Modern makes so much sense considering the subject matter.

Yayoi Kusama was born into a Japan of 1929 where tradition and honour were more important than art or creativity. However she had a passion for painting, mastering traditional art before becoming frustrated and setting off for bigger challenges. A London design exhibitionwas but a glint in her eye as she opted to move to New York rather than enquiring into London property. Either city would’ve provided her with ample influence, but it was New York that launched her into the spectrum of artists such as Andy Warhol, George Segal and Claes Oldenburg. Embracing the hippie counterculture, she found prolific and critical acclaim before she returned to Japan for unknown reasons; she has remained there ever since.

Be it a London body or photography exhibition, Yayoi Kusama fits into no single defining genre. As a writer, painter, sculptor and poet, she has fought tooth and nail with every discipline and come out the victor. An exhibition of this nature is rare if at all, so a unique experience like this is definitely most recommended. This will not be the last London exhibition and it’s certainly not the first, but there will never be anything quite like a Yayoi Kusama exhibition again.