Yayoi Kusama is one of the world's most loved artists, renowned and adored for her surreal paintings, sculptures and immersive environments, and now Manchester has a front row seat for her spectacular inflatable artworks.
Exhibiting at Aviva Studios, the new home of Factory International, Yayoi Kusama's 'You, Me and the Balloons' forms the centrepiece of Manchester International Festival which is taking over the city from June 29 to July 16. The festival will also see new work from artists including Ryan Gander, Maxine Peake, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tino Sehgal and Juan Mata, and music from John Grant, Angélique Kidjo, and Alison Goldfrapp.
While Aviva Studios does not officially open to the public until October, Kusama's artworks offer the first opportunity to explore the landmark arts and culture space. The inflatable dolls and balloon sculptures have taken over the vast warehouse space of the building, taking audiences on an exhilarating journey through Kusama's psychedelic creations, most of which have not been seen before in the UK.
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Conceived especially for the soaring spaces of Manchester International Festival's new home, 'You, Me and the Balloons' is Kusama's largest immersive environment to date and celebrates three decades of her inflatable artworks. Journeying through the warehouse space, visitors can expect to see numerous psychedelic creations - many over 10m tall - including giant dolls, spectacular tendrilled landscapes and a vast constellation of polka-dot spheres.
The new exhibition is without doubt a major moment for the North West's art and culture scene, even surpassing in scale Kusama's recent show 'Infinity Mirror Rooms' at Tate Modern. Drawing on several decades of work as an artist and encompassing more than 30 years of inflatable artworks, 'the princess of polka dots' latest exhibition nods back to her childhood, when she first started experiencing auditory hallucinations and began creating polka-dot images.
The artist is also know for her 'infinity rooms', where others can experience what she calls 'self-obliteration', thanks to the installation of hundreds of flashing coloured LED lights into mirrored rooms. An art pioneer, she was one of the first artists to experiment with performance and action art, and is said to have influenced leading artists including Andy Warhol, Joseph Cornell and Donald Judd.
The opening of Yayoi Kusama's exhibition marked the start of Manchester International Festival, along with a city-wide treasure hunt to find artist Ryan Gander's collectable coins and Risham Syed and Angie Bual's 'Each Tiny Drop', a celebration of our connection to water on the banks of the River Medlock. Audiences will also be able to catch a chilling adaptation of a lost dystopian masterpiece in the depths of the John Rylands library by Maxine Peake, Sarah Frankcom and Imogen Knight.
The festival, which takes place in venues across the city, will also see a collaboration between ex-Manchester United footballer Juan Mata and Hans Ulrich Obrist exploring the beautiful game, a mixed reality concert by the late Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, a live photographic performance by Benji Reid, and a musical adaptation of a cult queer classic by Philip Venables and Ted Huffman.
A range of music acts will also take to the stage in the Hall of Aviva Studios, including Angélique Kidjo, Alison Goldfrapp and revered Sufi singer Sanam Marvi. There will also be a collaboration between AFRODEUTSCHE and Manchester Camerata, as well as the premiere of a new show from John Grant and the Richard Hawley band. Outside the venue, and overlooking the River Irwell, the event's popular festival square will offer free live music from over 190 performers, and a wide variety of food and drink, creating a new riverside destination for the city.
In attendance at today's launch, John McGrath, Artistic Director and Chief Executive, Factory International said: “Asking big questions about the world and our future, while also providing many moments of joy and celebration, MIF23 brings artists from a huge range of backgrounds to Manchester to create a thrilling range of work: from a ritual on the banks of a newly uncovered river, to a mixed reality concert from one of Japan’s greatest composers, from a hunt for artworks across the city to a collaboration exploring art and football.
“As always, MIF is rooted in the spaces and places of Greater Manchester. So whilst we welcome the first visitors to our new home, Aviva Studios, to experience Yayoi Kusama’s incredible inflatable sculptures and an array of music inside and outside the venue, the Festival continues to extend its reach throughout the city in a true celebration of Manchester and its cultural offerings.
"New collaborations and partnerships range from an army of young people addressing mental health provision in the galleries of HOME to a powerful exhibition about economics at the Whitworth.
“This Festival is a genuine melting pot of creativity, designed to take the temperature of our times and imagine possibilities for the future. From homegrown talent to trailblazers from the far reaches of the globe, each of this year’s artists bring unique work and ideas to the programme which I’m thrilled to see shared with the world.”
Yayoi Kusama's 'You, Me and the Balloons' opens at Aviva Studios on Friday, June 30 and runs until Monday, August 28.
Standard Tickets for 'You, Me and the Balloons' can be purchased via the Manchester International Festival website for £15, but there are also options for £10 or less. A maximum of 6 tickets per person applies for all bookings.
