Kusama: Infinity

Truly informative AND entertaining film about one of the most significant artists of her generation. If you know about Andy Warhol and his contemporaries but you don't know Kusama there are reasons for that - watch the movie and you'll see why being Japanese and a woman made her ripe for those guys to rip her off, use her genius for their own acclaim. But we're in a different era, and it's not Warhol whose art shows draw crowds out the door and down N. Grand Ave. at the Broad Museum and others around the world. I saw this film at Sundance and again at a LACMA screening in Los Angeles and I'm impressed by the painstaking detail with which the director executed her vision (Director Heather Lenz). Whether or not feminism, women's issues, race, etc. are categories that draw your interest, the look into the life and mind of an intense artist like Kusama is revealing.

Yayoi Kusama is without question an utterly fascinating character. I am happy that she finally gained recognition for her life-long, singleminded dedication to art, even after so many rejections and shunnings (and pilfering of ideas by artists!) by people in both the US and the Japanese art worlds. I suspect that there are many other people like her who were not strong enough to continue on in the face of so much adversity, so she should be applauded as a human being as well as an artist.

That said, I think that it is pretty clear that her late recognition is a part of the unfortunate and relatively recent phenomenon of the hyper-commodification of art, with collectors and gallerists and curators all out on the hunt for artists whom they can champion so that they (the hustlers) can get rich quick, along with their clients. The completely insane prices commanded for some artists´ works (including, now, Kusama´s) while most artists starve as they await to be (in most cases never) discovered is a result of a massive quantity of wealth concentrated in the hands of a few powerbrokers who trade art in the manner of stocks and bonds. In recent decades, such persons, and their agents, have come to wield enormous power in the art world. The entire system has become corrupt as a result. Now we have con artists posing as not only art critics and art dealers, but artists as well!

Many films have dealt specifically with this new development, of collectors buying art in order to flip it for profit, so if you are interested in that topic, I recommend that you watch some of those films. I have created a list here at imdb, but it appears that they will not include a link within the text of this review.

Documentaries are not easily found for artists. I am an avid Yayoi Kusama fan. When I heard there was a movie being made I couldn't wait for it to come out. I went to the premiere and loved it. I smiled with delight and excitement throughout the entire movie. I purchased the DVD because I had to own it. This movie did not disappoint. I have watched it 3 times now. If you want to learn more about Yayoi Kusama, watch this documentary. If you want to learn and be introduced to an incredible living artist, watch this documentary. If you want to learn about art, see this documentary. If you support women and their plight to be noticed, watch this documentary. I loved it. I highly recommend it. Heather Lenz did a wonderful job showing us who Yayoi Kusama is, what her art is about and why she is such an important living artist in our lifetime.

A remarkable, provocative, innovative artist in canvas, art installations, and even performance art protests. Decades ahead of her time, she fought hard her whole life against the establishment but found her ideas constantly stolen and capitalized on by men. Even when hospitalized for her obsessive compulsions, she was nonetheless prolifically productive. Her mirrored rooms and penis-covered furniture are the perfect fodder for social media, and she finally got the recognition she deserved when almost 60 - her works and installations now garner millions.

This documentary is well researched and illustrated by contemporary footage.

This has to be one of the best documentaries I've seen this year. This film really makes justice to one of the greatest artists of our time. The way Kusama's work is depicted on screen is absolutely incredible. At times, it almost feels like you've been absorbed by one of her paintings. This film also reveals key facts of her life and the art scene of the time. You'll be blown away! Definitely there should be more documentaries like this. A must-see on the big screen!

Score: 10/10

FJ Medina