Those dots will soon be everywhere… the UK is embracing the prolific Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama this summer via a series of high-profile unveilings and events. Serpentine Galleries and The Royal Parks have announced that Kusama’s “tallest bronze pumpkin sculpture to date” (all six metres of it—in height) will be installed in Kensington Gardens this summer (9 July-3 November). The towering Pumpkin piece will be installed by the Round Pond and should soon become a beacon for joggers and dog walkers alike.
Meanwhile Infinite Accumulation, the nonagenarian’s first permanent public work in the UK, will be unveiled this July at Liverpool Street Station. For this site-specific piece, Kusama develops her most recognisable motif—the polka dot (naturally). “The dot is expanded into linked forms that interact with and define the public spaces outside the station,” says a project statement. The work, supported by Victoria Miro gallery, was commissioned as part of The Crossrail Art Foundation’s public art programme for the Elizabeth Line.
Finally, fans of Kusama’s Infinity Room series will also relish a new work in the series due to go on show at Victoria Miro gallery in the autumn. A new series of paintings, entitled Every Day I Pray for Love, will also feature in the artist’s 14th show with the gallery(25 September-2 November; don’t forget to book).
