Polka Dot Discoveries

I sipped a hot coffee to warm my body while trying to forget about the hundreds of people who were in line ahead of me. Who stands outside for hour(s) during a New York winter snowfall to see the highly anticipated, The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away, exhibition? This girl (and her friend), plus many determined New Yorkers. Confusion ensued upon arrival at the David Zwirner gallery located in Chelsea. Trying to decipher where the line started or ended was a minor task—but realizing (and accepting) you’re at the end of it was a bummer. My thought trajectory immediately went something like this:

I hope this isn’t a hyped, sh*t show.

Look at those smart people with umbrellas and thermoses of coffee.

Did I just hear there is a six to eight hour wait?

I love art! Stay!

While I was lost in thought, my friend noticed people from a different line entering and exiting the gallery. Soon we learned there were two different exhibits by the same artist and two different lines. We agreed not to waste an entire day standing in line for an exhibition, but we would see the one with the shorter wait time.

The first part of the exhibit was in a spacious gallery that showcased vibrant large-scale paintings by Yayoi Kusama. The next part of the (Love is Calling) exhibit was in a neighboring building that’s part of the same gallery. The exterior building resembled a garage, and the interior was almost pitch black. We were told to remove our shoes and were provided with shoe covers. Following each other (almost blindly), we entered what I call, “the polka dot realm.” Multiple neon tentacles with black polka dots were growing. There were no signs of an ending or beginning due to the mirrored infinity room. Immersed and in a trance, I wanted to stand there much longer and absorb the vastness of the space—but we were ushered out of this art induced acid trip.

Entering the next room, the artist, Yayoi Kusama, greeted us in Japanese with spoken work and singing through a powerful video installation that had English subtitles. The backdrop was black and, again, infinite, mirrored walls.

The physical journey of the polka-dot realm at the David Zwirner gallery was short and ended for that moment, but the curiosity and obsession instilled from that space continues. Those spots of discoveries that manifest into safe obsessions are made daily, but you have to go out and find them. Explore the known or unknown. Wait in line. Endure the snow. It’s not always a sh*t show.