I, Kusama, am the modern Alice in Wonderland: Alice e Kusama, di riflesso per infiniti specchi.

Leuzzi, Laura

Abstract

"How about taking a trip with me out to Central Park [...] under the magic mushroom of the Alice in Wonderland statue. Alice was the grandmother of the Hippies. When she was low, Alice was the first to take pills to make her high. I, Kusama, am the modern Alice in Wonderland. Like Alice who went through the looking grass, I, Kusama (I haved lived for years in my famous, specially built room entirely covered by mirrors) have opened up a world of fantasy and freedom. You too can join my adventurous dance of life" (Kusama, 2011, 42). With these words, the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama invited the public to join her - "mad as the hatter" and her "troupe of naked dancers" (Kusama 2011, 42) - on the occasion of her happening in Central Park New York. The happening, part of the eventually famous series called "The Anatomic Explosion", took place between July and November 1968. At the time, Kusama - now a global cult phenomenon and celebrated in 2018 by a film, "Kusama-Infinity" - was still little known to the general public and international critics, despite an appearance at the 1966 Biennale. It was in those years (1957-1973) in New York that she developed her experimental practice, conducted among happenings, installations and performances. The event press release for this happening underlined the profound influence of the Carrollian character of Alice in Kusama's work and a sort of identification with it. This article examines the importance of many Carrollian conceptual elements and topics (mirror, non-sense, puns) in the artist's body of work, including a Lacanian interpretation, and briefly explores the new interest of artists and illustrators of the 60s/70 in Carroll and Alice in Wonderland. The article ends with an overview of the Kusama-illustrated Penguin edition of Alice in Wonderland (2012), which adds the artist to a long list of artists who have been inspired by the Carrollian characters and stories. The article explores the themes, motifs and stylistic features used by Kusama to accompany and complement the text.

Citation

LEUZZI, L. 2018. I, Kusama, am the modern Alice in Wonderland: Alice e Kusama, di riflesso per infiniti specchi. Engramma [online], 161, article ID 3524. Avilable from: http://www.engramma.it/eOS/index.php?id_articolo=3524

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 31, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Dec 31, 2018
• Publication Date: Dec 31, 2018
• Deposit Date: Aug 23, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 23, 2021
• Journal: Engramma
• Print ISSN: 1826-901X
• Electronic ISSN: 1826-901X
• Publisher: Centro Studi Architettura Civiltà Tradizione del Classico (ClassicA)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 161
• Article Number: 3524
• Keywords: Yayoi Kusama; Alice in Wonderland; Lewis Carroll; Literature in art; Artist's influences; Hippie movement; Illustration
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1374925