The thing I love most about Yayoi Kusama is that she -- by choice -- lives in a mental hospital in Tokyo and has a studio down the street where she continues to work. Artists are often thought to be crazy and, not only does she admit it, but she embraces it. Oh, and let's not forget, her work is sick. Who else would make huge fiberglass sculptures of pumpkins and cover them with black polka dots?

If you're a fan like I am, stop by Gagosian on 24th Street to check out Yayoi Kusama -- on now through 06.27.09. If you're in LA, you'll want to check out an exhibition at Gagosian there entitled Flowers That Bloom at Midnight. That show opens 05.30 and runs through 07.17.09. The overlapping bi-coastal shows celebrate Kusama's 80th birthday.

This two-part exhibition, which has been several years in the making, Kusama has conceived some astonishing new works, such as Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity (2009), a mesmerizing "infinity room" that operates on a system of simple yet ingenious optical devices. In a dark void, a delicate, shimmering mirage unfolds around the viewer, a myriad of gleaming lights that reproduce and reflect endlessly upon each other in golden silence. Titles of recent figurative paintings, in which worms, eyes, and other more indeterminate biomorphic forms abound, reflect a preoccupation with mortality, as well as with enlightenment, solitude, nothingness, and the mysteries of the physical and metaphysical universe. And, among all these spirited emanations, the sublime Infinity Net paintings -- from austere achromes to vibrant psychedelic contrasts -- continue to depict the undepictable in a steady, insistent pulse.

Read more about the New York exhibit here and check out images of the work here. The work in LA isn't quite as sppealing to me. Check out images here and read about it here.

Don't forget to check out Kusama's official site, read her Wiki, where you'll get more detailed information on her storied life and career, and read her bio on Gagosian's site, which includes an excerpt from KUSAMA: princess of polka dots.

Yayoi Kusama
Yayoi Kusama
Gagosian (New York/24th Street)
Through 06.27.09

Flowers That Bloom at Midnight
Yayoi Kusama
Gagosian (LA)
05.30 - 07.17.09