In our series, [From cities: Admiring the cities of the world], we bring you the latest local information on cities around the world, such as Paris, Milan, New York, etc., notable addresses, and real city snaps! For a while, we will be sending you updates with the hope that in the near future, when we are able to travel abroad freely again, we will visit those places.

The 16th installment focuses on Yayoi Kusama's "KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature" exhibition, which has been running since this spring at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) in the northern part of New York City.

Now, many New Yorkers have overcome the long period of strict restrictions and are busy enjoying their first summer in two years. This featured exhibition, currently being held at the New York Botanical Garden, has become a popular spot where you can hear people locally asking, "Have you been to KUSAMA yet? Or not?". Don't miss the information on the installation work "Infinity Mirrored Room," which was added to the public's viewing list on August 3rd!

Here's an exhibition report from our staff based in New York, which you'll want to enjoy as if you were on an online trip. Check it out now.

What is the Yayoi Kusama "Cosmic Nature" exhibition currently being held at the New York Botanical Garden?

The current exhibition, "KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature," is the talk of the town in New York, as it displays Yayoi Kusama's works in various locations at the New York Botanical Garden, allowing visitors to enjoy her works alongside the changing scenery and plants every day.

This special exhibition was originally scheduled to be held in 2020. However, due to the impact of COVID-19, it was postponed for a year and will now be held this spring. Additionally, starting August 3rd this summer, the interior of "Infinity Mirrored Room," one of Yayoi Kusama's signature artworks, an installation series, was also unveiled.


The venue for this exhibition, the New York Botanical Garden, is located in the Bronx district in northern New York (about an hour by train from central Manhattan), and covers a vast area of 250 acres (approximately the size of 23 Tokyo Domes). With seasonal plants to enjoy all year round, it's a spot well worth a visit even without a special exhibition.

Let's head to the New York Botanical Garden!
There are a total of 10 locations where the artworks are exhibited, and this article will highlight 9 of them (spots other than the artwork "Walking Piece"). For each location, we will introduce the artworks and the artistic landscapes in which they stand.

SPOT1. "I Want to Fly to the Universe"
Welcomed by a charming piece

This is the first thing that caught my eye when I entered the park. This is a new piece created in 2020, and it has a powerful feel, like a new species of life form with its arms outstretched towards the universe. It looks as if it is sucking something in through its gaping mouth, and there's something addictively charming about it.

SPOT 2. "Pumpkins Screaming About Love Beyond Infinity"
A secret trick art in which pumpkins float

Right next to the aforementioned "I Want to Fly to the Universe" there is a small building. Unfortunately, photography is prohibited in this space, so we can only introduce it in text.

When you enter the building, it is pitch black and silent. The only sense is the presence of people patiently waiting for something. After a while, a dimly lit yellow pumpkin appears in the center of the space, and thanks to a trick using two mirrors, the pumpkins gradually spread out countless times deeper into the space before slowly disappearing. As I watched the countless pumpkins quietly and repeatedly change, I felt as if I was gradually being drawn into the world of the artwork.

SPOT 3. "Flower Obsession"
An installation filled with flowers created together with guests

After walking a short distance from the previous spot, a white hut resembling a greenhouse came into view. Just before the hut, a staff member handed me a pink flower sticker.

"These stickers are for your participation in the upcoming installation. Feel free to stick them anywhere you like in the hut!"
I was surprised when I stepped inside the hut. A world unfolded, as if the flower stickers from earlier had multiplied by themselves.

I could hear the excited voices of children arguing about where to put the stickers.
This space originally resembled someone's living room, with only chairs, a table, and plants placed there. But if you look carefully between the gaps in the stickers, you'll see dishes, a vase, and books on the table. It seems each visitor has created an art piece by sticking a sticker on it.


When viewed from a distance, it uncannily resembles a painted work by Yayoi Kusama.

SPOT4. ``Ascension of Polka Dots in the Trees''
Trees dressed up in the familiar polka dot pattern

People stop for a while to look up at the trees
When you leave the ``Flower Obsession'' hut, the next thing you see are trees dressed up in pink polka dots. In person, they are even more impressive in scale than they appear in photographs. This is a work that truly makes use of the characteristics of the New York Botanical Gardens as its location.

SPOT5. "Narcissus Garden"
A pleasant stroll along the water's edge, with 1,400 spheres floating on its surface

As I had overlooked one artwork, I went back a little way the way I came and walked along the water's edge for a while.
Then, a silver sphere floating on the water appeared. There are an astonishing 1,400 of them...!


The stainless steel spheres move slowly in a swarm, making a small clicking sound as they collide with each other in the wind. You can hear the sound change slightly depending on the strength of the wind. Occasionally, you can hear a high-pitched squeaking sound. Sitting on a bench and gazing at them, you get the comfortable feeling that your mind is clearing.

>>[Next, we head to the botanical garden's greenhouse]
What is the unique world of the New York Botanical Garden that unfolds deep inside the greenhouse?