Statue of Venus Obliterated by Infinity Nets, 1998
Acrylic on canvas and fiberglass
214.6 x 68.5 x 78.8 cm. (84 1/2 x 27 x 31 in.)
Edition 4/9

 

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 23 November 2013
HKD 4,600,000 / USD 593,336

Source: Christie’s
Yayoi Kusama (B. 1929) (christies.com)

 

Statue of Venus Obliterated by Infinity Nets is an avant-garde twist on a classical iconic sculpture which is seductive, vibrant, and hypnotic. In Statue of Venus Obliterated by Infinity Nets, Kusama places the Roman goddess of love and beauty in an enshrouded setting where both sculpture and background are covered with her signature Infinity Nets; distinctively intricate patterns that helped launch her career as one of the leading artists of the post-war period. The mannequin work Self-obliteration is a physical recreation of herself as she becomes engulfed by the organic patterns. They are rich in both visual and textural variety; the surface displays Kusama’s technical skill as well as her physical and mental stamina. The netted “molecules” strewn over the bright surfaces draw the viewer into the details of the figures.
In painstaking detail, Kusama perseveringly painted one by one, the miniscule specks on large surface areas, sometimes until she passed out from exhaustion. It is her mental condition that makes her obsess in this way; in fact, she describes her art-making as both the symptom and the cure for her “obsession” and considers her work “psychosomatic art”. During the process of painting her Infinity Nets, Kusama becomes mesmerized and transported into her own world; the nets she creates become the veil that shields her from reality. In the same way, the speckled Venus and mannequin is camouflaged by their surroundings, being consumed by the Infinity Nets that are all around. They are the reflection of the artist herself.