There is no greater form of art than interactive art. iArt (I'll refer to it as such for all you Apple junkies in the world) is exactly what artist Yayoi Kusama gave us in her latest exhibit in the Chelsea section of NYC entitled "Give Me Love". By lending this exhibit to the David Zwirner gallery, it's almost as if Kusama was screaming "Come one, come all and be one with my art!" This nearly open air gallery space was more than ideal for an iArt display.
The exhibit included her traveling piece called "The Obliteration Room". This is a small scale mock of a typical suburban home with all crisp, white features when you walk in. White walls, white furniture, white trinkets and clothes; almost like walking into the cleanest ever room to be created (more specifically, a haven for all germaphobes of the world). Now if you're wondering "How is that considered iArt?" Let me tell you how they equip you to enter. Before you go into this small house, you are handed a sheet of stickers; all different colors and all different size circles. 
It becomes your job to place those stickers on any surface you see available. It's your interaction with the piece that makes this room become art. To me, Kusama knows that we are all different and works of art in our own right; she wanted the people of the most diverse city in the world to turn her blank canvas into what we found to be beautiful beyond measure. Where you place your dots are solely up to you. Maybe you want to disturb the all white with some color. Or, perhaps, you want to layer stickers to portray the layers that each of us as humans with individual experiences has. No matter where you place your stickers, you make the room come to life.
It becomes your job to place those stickers on any surface you see available. It's your interaction with the piece that makes this room become art. To me, Kusama knows that we are all different and works of art in our own right; she wanted the people of the most diverse city in the world to turn her blank canvas into what we found to be beautiful beyond measure. Where you place your dots are solely up to you. Maybe you want to disturb the all white with some color. Or, perhaps, you want to layer stickers to portray the layers that each of us as humans with individual experiences has. No matter where you place your stickers, you make the room come to life. After leaving the house, you were lead into a room with the most magnificent looking pumpkins (even Cinderella and her know-it-all Fairy Godmother would be jealous of these pumpkins). 
Mirrored pumpkins with colored spots; or, mirrored pumpkins with holes and the insides colored. Either way you look at it, MIRRORS!!! Who doesn't love a good mirror?! (I may be guilty of loving them too much) Mirrors are one of the easiest ways to get your audience to interact with your art. Kusama, as the artist, sculpted and painted these pumpkins as she wanted. In making them reflective, she allowed for you to see where you fit in in this magically mirrored masterpiece.
Mirrored pumpkins with colored spots; or, mirrored pumpkins with holes and the insides colored. Either way you look at it, MIRRORS!!! Who doesn't love a good mirror?! (I may be guilty of loving them too much) Mirrors are one of the easiest ways to get your audience to interact with your art. Kusama, as the artist, sculpted and painted these pumpkins as she wanted. In making them reflective, she allowed for you to see where you fit in in this magically mirrored masterpiece. This was truly one of my favorite exhibits, by far. My only regret is that I was not able to make it on the first day so that I could see the calm before the storm (ie I didn't see the Obliteration Room before it got, well, obliterated). I can't wait to see what Yayoi Kusama has in store next.
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