Listen to
Doryun Chong:
Looking at this installation, you might imagine that Kusama’s Infinity Net paintings have exploded off the wall, speckling every nearby person and object with multi-coloured dots and nets. Kusama made Self Obliteration in the late 1960s when she was living in New York and actively participating in the hippie counterculture. Kusama staged dozens of performances during which she painted dots on performers’ naked bodies. The dots and nets covering the mannequins, furniture pieces, and other domestic objects before you represent an extension of this practice.
If you look closely, you can notice that the mannequins, all female, sport wigs styled to reflect the fashions of the late 1960s. The pasta strewn across the floor acts almost as a net, enclosing the mannequins in its grasp while also underscoring the surreal nature of this domestic setting.
The intense and somewhat ominous title of this work, Self Obliteration, contrasts playfully with the colourful scene before our eyes. Kusama has explored the concept of ‘obliteration’ throughout her career. It is rooted in the idea of the negative and the positive becoming one. This concept explains her continued obsession with, and use of the polka dot motif. Kusama has said: ‘Polka dots can’t stay alone. When we obliterate nature and our bodies with polka dots we become part of the unity of our environments.’ In this installation, the individuals represented by the mannequins appear to become parts of a larger whole.
Narrator:
Self Obliteration is an installation created by Yayoi Kusama between 1966 and 1974. It consists of everyday objects painted over with bright colours, including six mannequins, a dining table, four chairs, a handbag, teacups, a pitcher, an ashtray, plastic plants, and plastic fruit. The set-up of these elements suggests a scene at a gathering frozen in time. The dimension of the work is variable and depends on the space in which the installation is presented.
The red rectangular dining table is at the centre of the work. It is surrounded by six mannequins and four chairs. The mannequins stand around the table, each assuming a different pose. Some seem to be in conversation while others gaze into the distance. They look relaxed, leaning their weight on one of their legs with the other bent at the knee. The four chairs are pulled out slightly from the table as if those sitting there have just left their seats. A red handbag hangs on one of the chairs. The surfaces of the table and table set-up, chairs, and the mannequins are all painted with dense mesh patterns that come in vivid colour combinations of red on blue, red on yellow, red on white, green on red, and so on.
The mannequins look typical of those used to model clothes for women. They are not dressed but wear blonde and brunette wigs in the style of the late 1960s. Some have medium-length hair with ends that flick upwards, others have chin-length bobs with blunt fringes. Although they are not wearing shoes, their feet are shaped like high heels. Two of the mannequins show distinct patches of colour: one has a noticeably darker patch of green on yellow extending from its head to its middle, while the other mannequin has a green-on-white pattern on its front but red-on-white on its head and parts of its limbs. A subtle yellow-on-white patch is painted near its right ankle.