Yayoi Kusama is globally acknowledged to be one of the most important artists of our time. The Memorial Art Gallery presents INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM – LET’S SURVIVE FOREVER, 2017, on loan from the Art Gallery of Ontario.
LET’S SURVIVE FOREVER is an environment unto itself—visitors do not “view” it but rather “experience” it. Building on her frequent themes of repetition and obliteration, the work invites visitors into a seemingly infinite field of silver orbs and captivates them with mirrored spheres suspended from the ceiling and arranged on the floor.
Come and behold the boundless imagination of Yayoi Kusama.
Entering the installation requires a timed entry ticket. When you arrive for your visit, check in at the Admissions Desk to reserve your timed ticket for entering the installation. See below for more information.
Please note that, due to large event attendance, this installation is closed to the public on Celebration Days and during Museum of the Dead.
Throughout the run of this installation, MAG is highlighting artwork by women artists in the permanent collection in the exhibition Represent: Great Women Artists at MAG.
About the Artist
Born in 1929 in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. From a young age, Yayoi Kusama experienced visual and auditory hallucinations and began creating net and polka-dot pattern pictures. In 1957, she went to the United States and began making net paintings and soft sculptures, as well as organizing happenings and developing installations that made use of mirrors and lights, establishing herself as an avant-garde artist. Kusama discovered an artistic philosophy of self-obliteration via the obsessive repetition and multiplication of single motifs, which has informed her work throughout her career. Yayoi Kusama represented Japan at the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993 and lives and works in Tokyo, where the Yayoi Kusama Museum opened in October 2017.
Over the past decade, there have been museum exhibitions of Kusama’s work in North America, Japan, Korea, Singapore, China, Australia, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Spain, England, France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Canada, Taiwan, Indonesia, Germany, and Israel. In 2016, Kusama received the Order of Culture, one of the highest honors bestowed by the Imperial Family of Japan. Kusama is the first woman to be honored with the prestigious medal for painting.
Recent exhibitions include Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms at Tate Modern, London, UK May 18, 2021 – April 28, 2024; Yayoi Kusama’s Self-Obliteration/Psychedelic World, Yayoi Kusama Museum, Tokyo, Japan, April 29 – September 18, 2023; Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to Now at Guggenheim Bilbao June 27 – October 2023; Yayoi Kusama – You, Me and the Balloons, Factory International, Manchester, UK, Jun 30 – August 28, 2023.
Timed Ticket Reservations
Please note that timed tickets to view INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM – LET’S SURVIVE FOREVER can only be obtained in person at the admission desk on the day of your visit for an additional $5. MAG members may receive a timed ticket in person at the Admissions Desk for free. All reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis. INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM closes 30 minutes before the museum: at 4:30 pm Wednesday–Sunday and at 8:30 pm on Thursday evenings. Please note that, due to large event attendance, this installation is closed to the public on Celebration Days and during Museum of the Dead.
You must purchase a general admission ticket in order to obtain a timed ticket to view INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM – LET’S SURVIVE FOREVER. You can purchase your general admission ticket in person, or receive a discount by doing so online here. Upon arrival, you can select your time slot to enter INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM – LET’S SURVIVE FOREVER.
INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM – LET’S SURVIVE FOREVER is installed in the Docent Gallery on the first floor. Up to four guests are permitted inside the artwork at a time with a one-minute time limit. During busy times, you may be asked to join other visitors. To ensure a seamless experience, we recommend ticket holders start queuing no earlier than five minutes before their scheduled time slot.
Members receive priority access, but early arrival is encouraged as your most desired time slot may be unavailable during busy times.
The installation is wheelchair accessible, but strollers, purses, coats, and backpacks are not permitted inside. We will provide designated areas for these items while you enjoy the installation. All children 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
Have a question about how to see INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM – LET’S SURVIVE FOREVER? Please call the MAG Admission desk at 585-276-8900 or email maginfo@mag.rochester.edu.
Organized by the Memorial Art Gallery with the generous support of the Art Gallery of Ontario.
This installation is supported by a grant awarded to Memorial Art Gallery by Empire State Development and I LOVE NY/New York State’s Division of Tourism through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative.
® I LOVE NEW YORK is a registered trademark and service mark of the New York State Department of Economic Development; used with permission.
Memorial Art Gallery Presentation Sponsors
Associate Sponsor
Rubens Family Foundation
Anonymous
Heidi Friederich
Allyson and Sanjay Hiranandani
Todd Bennett Levin
Dr. Dawn F. Lipson
McDonald Family
Janet S. Reed
Marion Swett Robinson
Contributing Sponsors
Anonymous
Mary Ellen Burris
Gouvernet Arts Fund at the Rochester Area Community Foundation
James C. and Geraldine Biddle Moore
George and Barbara Segel
Albert L. and Laura A. Swett
Fellow Sponsor
Kristin Vanden Brul
Friend Sponsor
Courtney and Mike DeRisio
Barbara Frank
Harter Secrest & Emery LLP
James and Marguerite Quinn
Memorial Art Gallery Endowed Fund Support
Dr. Robert Lewis Berg and Florence Foster Berg Fund
Robert A. and Maureen S. Dobies Endowment Fund
Suressa H. Forbes Endowment
Margaret Davis Friedlich and Alan and Sylvia Davis Memorial Fund
Irving and Essie Germanow Fund
Grant Holcomb Endowment
Kayser Fund
Elizabeth and Eric Rennert Family Fund
Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Fund
Nancy R. Turner Fund for Special Exhibitions
Yayoi Kusama. INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM – LET’S SURVIVE FOREVER, 2017. Wood, metal, glass mirrors, LED lighting system, monofilament, stainless steel balls and carpet, Installed: 312.4 × 624.8 × 622.9 cm (123 × 246 × 245 1/4 in.). Purchased with funds from the David Yuile & Mary Elizabeth Hodgson Fund, Michelle Koerner & Kevin Doyle, Robert Dorrance & Gail Drummond, The Schulich Foundation, Soichiro & Junko Yamamoto, Diane Bald & Michael Budman, Don & Denyse Green, DH Gales Foundation, Maxine Granovsky Gluskin & Ira Gluskin, Barry Appleton & Magaly Bianchini, Emmanuelle Gattuso, Sheryle & David Saunders, Robin & David Young, Laura E. Baldini, Diana Billes, Edison Chai, Julian Chan & Yi Hyun Park, The Francis and Denise Connolly Family, Creeds, Eileen Farrow, Ivan Fecan & Sandra Faire, Hallisey Family, Victoria Jackman, Val Koziol, David Kozman & Kristin Blakely-Kozman,The Charles & Jane Kucey Foundation Fund, Jämes Lee & the Julie Institute, Chelsea Longaphy & Bernie Li, Martha LA McCain, Abby, Perry & Jordan Minuk, Carolyn D. Mullin, Samuel & Alice Peralta, In Memory of Pierrette & Abel Rancourt, Heather & Aaron Regent, Shevlen Family, Mary Sinclair, Jay Smith & Laura Rapp, J. Kenneth & Margaret Syer-Torrance, and the generosity of thousands of art lovers, 2018. © Yayoi Kusama, Courtesy David Zwirner, New York; Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore/Shanghai; Victoria Miro, London/Venice. Photo AGO. 2018/28