"The exhibition ends in a—pun intended—fruitful manner at 533 West 19th Street..."— Charles Moore
May 2023
Yayoi Kusama (b. 1929) has unveiled her first solo exhibition with David Zwirner in a decade. I Spend Each Day Embracing Flowers—on view this spring from May 11 through July 21—features dozens of new paintings, massive pumpkin and floral sculptures, and an Infinity Mirror Room by the prolific Japanese artist. The works are on view at the gallery’s 519, 525, and 533 West 19th Street locations, and audiences would do well to set aside time to take in the latest installment of Kusama’s remarkable practice.
This practice includes three-dimensional flowers, massive vegetables known for their layered shapes and bright colors, and installations so experiential one may struggle to step away. Since the artist’s first solo show in her native Japan in 1952, Kusama has been making waves as an avant-garde creative—gaining deep recognition for her whimsical Pop art and captivating sculptures. Immediately upon entering the 519 West 19th Street space in Chelsea, viewers will take in three such gargantuan flower sculptures, each one titled I Spend Each Day Embracing Flowers (2023). The works vary in size and celebrate the artist’s evolution: her use of vibrant color, polka-dot patterns, and forms so fluid that the public may feel the works are actually in bloom. Pinks and greens, oranges and reds, intricate lines, and different shades of blue—every segment of Kusama’s three flower sculptures is unique in shape and stature, overgrown and lush as though coming alive. The artist invites audiences to situate themselves in the gallery and find their place in a verdant garden of the artist’s own making.