A glimpse into Infinity

There are rare moments in our life where an event happens that we are willing to stand in line for 2+ hours. Sometimes that moment is standing in line for a new ride at Disneyland, sometimes it’s waiting for a table at a no reservation restaurant, and sometimes it’s to see the latest show from Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama at the Seattle Art Museum. Kusama is a conceptual artist made famous by her installation of infinity mirror rooms and explosive use of polka dots.

Yayoi Kusama started her career shortly after the end of World War 2 and quickly gained success as an abstract artist. She credits most of her inspiration from her childhood where she would have hallucinations as early as 10 years old and see flashes flashes of light, auras, or dense fields of dots. Later during WW2, she was working in a military factory sewing parachutes for the army and working conditions she endured was in closed darkness. She quotes this part of her life as the reason she began to value personal creative freedoms and pursue a career in art. Growing tired of the traditional Nihonga style of painting, she became more interested in Western style art and staged her first solo show in Matsumoto and Tokyo during the 1950s.

Surprisingly, the current SAM installation isn’t her first exhibit in Seattle. Her first debut outside of Japan was actually in Seattle! In 1957 when she was only 27 years old, she held an exhibition of paintings at the Zoe Dusanne Gallery and stayed in the city for over a year before moving to New York. Kusama's style has evolved over time and the Seattle Art Museum is hosting a new show featuring pieces that vary from rooms with mirrors and light installations to an interactive room where you get to be the artist.

Getting In

For a brief time, SAM released a restricted amount of tickets online prior to show opening but quickly sold out. The only way to see the exhibit now is to arrive early and hope to snag one of 700 tickets SAM reserves each day for first come, first serve guests. I decided to try my luck on the first Thursday of the month in July since that’s when tickets are 50% off. I was not prepared for what was waiting for me.

Lines, lines, LINES! The secret was out - everyone wanted a discount for this show and was willing to wait for 2+ hours to get it. The museum opens at 10am, I was in the line at 9:20am thinking that there might be a couple dozen ahead of me. Nope - there was a couple hundred in front of me. I had the entire day to myself so I was seeing this to the end. Others in front of me were visiting and saw several people throw in the towel and ditch the line. Unfortunately not enough people left ahead of me and I didn’t get my ticket until 11:30am.

When buying your ticket, you get the option of choosing which time to see the exhibit that day. The earliest time slot when I got to the reception desk was 2pm. I thought that was a perfect considering Out to Lunch was starting at 12pm just four blocks away.

When my time slot arrived, I only had to wait on the 3rd floor for no more than 5 minutes and got my ticket scanned for entry into the exhibit. It was crowded and I was comforted by the thought that the art scene is not dead after all.

Tips and tricks

Start your way at the back and slowly work your way to the front. When your time group is allowed in, almost everyone gravitates to the first infinity room but I’ve found that the crowd of people thins out if you go to the very last infinity room in the back.

Take your pictures quickly. You get between 20 - 30 seconds inside each room and that half a minute goes by quickly. My favorite room was the lantern infinity room and by the time I was done taking pictures, I was kicked out for the next group so my memory of most rooms was through a camera lens. Just take your picture quickly and then spend the rest of the time marveling at the art or if you aren’t crunched for time, go back in line. Once your ticket for the exhibit is scanned, technically you can stay at the exhibit until the museum closes.

Go with a group. The SAM staff monitor the rooms and to make the line go quicker, you are grouped with 2-3 other people in line. I was a solo visitor so every time I was grouped with another family which isn’t a bad thing but when I go back, I’m bringing Mr. Mustang.

Go back a second time on a different day. There was one exhibit where you are given a small stack of stickers and asked to place them anywhere. I participated when the exhibit first opened and already there was a ton of stickers - I can only imagine what it will look like towards the end of the show. SAM supposedly has a live feed of the room (but to this day, I can’t find a link to it) and they plan to release a time-lapsed video of the room after the show concludes.

Summary

Kusama's show is truly fun for all ages. There were tons of families enjoying the exhibit but a word of caution, you can be expected to wait up to 45 minutes for a single mirror room so plan accordingly. When visiting, be patient but most importantly have fun and enjoy - this might very well be the last time Seattle gets the chance to host a Yayoi Kusama show.

From now to September 10th 2017, you too can grab tickets to see this once in a lifetime show at the Seattle Art Museum. For more information, click here.

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