A crowdpleasing exhibition of inflatable works by Yayoi Kusama at Aviva Studios—the centrepiece of the Manchester Worldwide Competition (till 16 July)—is stuffed with treats for these dedicated to the polka-dot pioneer. You, Me and the Balloons (till 28 August) gratifies with large dolls, tendrilled landscapes and cozy furnishings (or sculptural types) referred to as Clouds that guests can sink into (that is really immersive artwork). One other spotlight is a uncommon video work displaying the artist singing poignantly about her expertise coping with despair (Track of a Manhattan Suicide Addict, 2007). The phrases, translated from Japanese into English, are moderately sobering, reflecting Kusama’s psychological well being points: “Swallow antidepressants and it is going to be gone, Tear down the gate of hallucinations, Amidst the agony of flowers, the current by no means ends.” Manhattan Suicide can also be the title of Kusama’s 1978 novel, written after she voluntarily moved right into a psychiatric hospital in Tokyo. How does she deal with an obsessive-compulsive sickness? “In my work, I’m giving a system to my life,” she has mentioned, proving that artwork conquers all.
