A dream I dreamed (solo exhibition) is Yayoi Kusama's first Asia tour exhibition which covers her most recent works at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai. Born in Nagano, she is an avant-garde artist, painter and novelist. 

Had the privelege to go to this exhibition during my stay in Shanghai (dragged Dan along too because family gatherings with adults is definitely not fun for the kids and we were bored anyway). 

Dots Obsession and Infinity Mirrored Room - Gleaming Lights of the Souls. 

Waited in line for around 20 minutes just to enter this room (we had no idea what was inside until he reached the end of the queue). We were allowed in for thirty seconds and it was a mirrored room with changing lights gleaming all around us. 'Cool' is definitely an understatement and if I went to this exhibition by myself, I would line up as many times as I could (even if the queues were outrageous). 

"One of Kusama's enduring obsessions has been the depiction of infinite space, which she has explored to magical effect in her Infinity Mirror Rooms."

Love Forever series 

"Fifty of these large scale canvas works were originally drawn with a marker pen during 2004 to 2007 and later made into silkscreens."

This was one (out of three) of my favourites. 

Ridiculous line but worth it. We were all given a pair of shoe cover/slippers and a sheet of polka dot stickers. As we reached closer to the room, we finally understood what they were for. Thank god we were one of the first in line for the next visit otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get a shot like this without 200 Asians swarming in the background. Basically DIY room where you stick your polka dots wherever you like. Dan and I became reindeers with hot pink polka dots on our nose... and a few hundred stickers on our hair/clothing. 

With All My Love for the Tulips, I Pray Forever

No one was allowed in here but it was so refreshing to see this, it was so clean and the dots were evenly distributed (my OCD senses tingled in excitement). I also have a minimalism fetish.

Dogs

Literally called 'Dogs'. They had their own individual names painted on them too!

Narcissus Garden 

Ladder to Heaven

I was so keen to find 'Ladder to Heaven' but I was a bit disappointed for some reason. But yeah, nevertheless another one of my three favourites. 

"In Ladder to Heaven, the ladder reflects in both mirrors on the ceiling and floor, expanding endlessly. As the title suggests, it is a gesture to reach toward Heaven endlessly and infinitely. Heaven implies death; however, the end of the earth is connected to the other side of the end and this embraces death and life as one."

Pumpkin

The Moment of Regeneration 

I'm Here, but Nothing

Last favourite. Didn't get to walk in, could only look from outside. 

"For Kusama the polka dot can be visual shorthand signifying her hallucinatory visions. Covering a room in psychedelic polka dots might be read as Kusama's attempt to visualise and re-stage the experience of her own hallucinatory episodes, during which she senses the physical world is overtaken by endlessly repeated forms."