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| A few photographs you will see throughout your tour. She also adds very witty comments. Photo © Lena Ghio , 2022 |
FRANÇAIS app de traduction à gauche
YAYOI KUSAMA / Dancing lights that flew up to the universe
One of the most celebrated artists of our time is 93 years old Yayoi Kusama. She has had an extraordinary journey as a contemporary artist and her works are desired by the most elite art collectors of the world. In another article I will analyse her birth chart and the lines in the palm of her hands to augment the insight into this exquisite creative soul. Here is a short BIO produced by Tate Modern that explains the Infinity Mirror Rooms two of which are on display in Montreal. She became obsessed with dots as she was grappling with the idea of her personal identity versus the universe which is growing more and more complex as our technology evolves. Using mirrors and tiny balls she creates an amazing paradox for our senses. We are guided to a door that leads inside a closet sized box. Once we cross the threshold, however, we are plunged into infinity. It is simply dazzling to experience infinity from this small centered position the installation imposes on us.
In the exhibition you will see some of her paintings, three wonderful pumpkin sculptures, many photographs of her performance work. There are several books at your disposal on her life and work. Take a moment to go through them or, better yet, you can buy them at Fondation Phi.
This year the Fondation Phi and Centre Phi, two important art institutions of the contemporary art scene and creations of Phoebe Greenberg celebrate two important milestones: 15 years for the first and 10 years for the later. It is very exciting that to celebrate these milestones you will have a chance to visit the exhibition of Yayoi Kusama for free. You must reserve your tickets HERE starting at noon on the 15th of the month and the exhibition will go on until January 15 2023. Don't worry, it goes fast until it is your turn to get your tickets.
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| Marco Brambilla describing his monolithic creation Heaven's Gate. Photo © Lena Ghio , 2022 |
Centre Phi is the go to place for your VR experience. This summer you can experience Marco Brambilla's Heaven's Gate done in two versions, one in VR and the other as a video installation. I needed to see both just to grasp the immensity of what Brambilla shared through this work. This piece encapsulates one of the most pervasive qualities of our times, the information overload. To achieve this he uses the exuberance of Hollywood's dream factory approach. There are moments when it evoked the famous painting of Jerome Bosch for me. Watch this trailer. It will take your breath away!
The Horizon VR section proposes four different experiences: Goliath: Playing with Reality, directed by Barry Gene Murphy & May Abdalla, is based on the true story of a man who suffered from schizophrenia, hospitalisation and isolation: Marco & Polo go round, directed by Benjamin Steiger Levine, takes us into the shaky world of an intimate relationship falling apart: Kusunda, directed by Felix Gaedtke & Gayatri Parameswaran and co-created by shaman Lil Bahadur and his granddaughter Hima, explores the fact that many languages, stories and knowledge are being lost while some people try to save them: Re-Educated, directed by Sam Wolson, takes us inside a reeducation camp in Xinjiang China, it is quite distressing to see that we humans experience the insanity of police states that make no real sense even today.
The Horizon VR and Heaven's Gates will be shown until October 24 2022.
