Must-See 'Infinity Mirrors' At SAM Will Take You To Another World

SEATTLE, WA - You might remember the "Bodies" art exhibit craze that swept the world around 2005-06. "Bodies... The Exhibition" featured human bodies (and singular body parts) preserved in acetone. Millions flocked to see innards either out of curiosity or a desire to face mortality. Whatever the reason, it was popular.

Today, Yayoi Kusama’s "Infinity Mirrors" opens at the Seattle Art Museum Friday, and it might be the next "Bodies" - not in substance necessarily, but in terms of must-see-to-believe fanfare. Many of the pieces of the exhibit have been around for years, but this is the first time the most iconic ones will be in one place in Seattle.

The assembly of Kusama's work in one spot has basically created another universe inside SAM, one made up of mirrors and colors and strange round objects. Kusama's paintings and sculptures are irresistible, begging you to come see them in person (to prove that they are actually real).

"Infinity Mirrors" was on display at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., earlier this year, and it attracted more visitors than any other exhibit the museum has ever shown (and this is a museum that is adjacent to the National Mall and has in its collection work by famed artists like Alexander Caulder and Ed Ruscha).

Advance tickets at SAM are already sold out, although "Infinity Mirrors" will be in town through Sept. 30, and tickets are available at the museum.

The exhibit also marks a sort-of homecoming for Kusama. She was born in Japan in 1929, but had her first U.S. exhibit in Seattle in 1957. The "Infinity Mirrors" stint at SAM is the first in a five-museum tour of the U.S. and Canada.

Besides Kusama's "Infinity Mirrors" rooms, visitors will get a chance to interact with the art in "The Obliteration Room" - a white room full of white furniture where visitors can attach colorful stickers anywhere they like. So, if you visit twice, "The Obliteration Room" will likely look much different the second time. Kusama's paintings are equally jaw-dropping, proving that her vision is movable across mediums. The painting "Infinity-Nets" appears to move like bleached sea grass underwater.

"Infinity Mirrors" runs June 30 to Sept. 30 at SAM. Tickets are available at the box office, and you can see prices here.

Images via Seattle Art Museum