Yayoi Kusama’s immersive Narcissus installation is welcomed by Arkansas’ The Momentary and it is the first time the work has been installed outdoors in an industrial setting. This year seemed like a great year for the iconic Japanese artist. A grand open-air exhibition at the New York Botanical Garden was expected to kick off in the spring, while a retrospective at the Gropius Bau in Berlin was slated to open in September. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, both exhibitions, along with shows at Washington DC’s Hirshorn Museum and London’s Tate Modern were postponed.

Narcissus is comprised of almost 900 mirrored spheres, creating a dynamic reflective field that symbolizes an interconnected universe and offers a sense of infinite existence, and having been installed for the first time in an outdoor setting, it adds a whole new layer to the work. Each orb relies on the presence of the others, allowing visitors to imagine an ideal world where each “dot,” or person, helps and supports others.

“What’s most exciting about the installation of Narcissus Garden at the Momentary is that this is the first time the work has been installed outdoors in an industrial setting…” said Momentary Assistant Curator Kaitlin Maestas. “Through Kusama’s clever design, these mirrored orbs simultaneously reflect people, architecture, and the vast open sky. You can’t help but walk away feeling slightly more connected to the world around you.”

You can see Narcissus at The Momentary for at least a year. The space is currently open with reduced capacity, so practice social distancing.