Yayoi Kusama’s exhibit at the NGV has recently become the most attended ticketed art exhibition in Australian history with over half a million people in FOUR MONTHS !!!

That’s completely bonkers to me, especially given the ‘cost-of-living crisis’ …right now, people are more selective than ever about what they’re willing to spend money on. And apparently, giant spotted pumpkins make the cut. I’m not mad about it. Seeing the world embrace art makes me so, SOO happy.

But WHY has Kusama’s exhibition been such a massive hit?

If you ask me, I’d say that it’s in part due to Kusama’s sheer reputation – she’s arguably one of the world’s most iconic living artists (and the top-selling female artist on the planet).

On top of that, her work is visually electric. The giant spotted pumpkin in the foyer. The inflatable noodle rooms. The mirrored infinity rooms. It’s art that pulls you straight away, before you’ve even had a chance to digest it (or read the plaque on the wall).

What’s clever is how she balances that visual joy with much darker themes: death, war, obsession, mental illness. Somehow, her use of flowers, polka dots and pumpkins softens the heaviness and invites everyone in…especially families. Kids go nuts for it. Teens line up for the selfie. Parents come back because their children won’t stop talking about it. Even Dua Lipa swang past for crying out loud!

The Infinity Rooms have become a thing of their own. They’re short, sharp hits of wonder – just 30–40 seconds inside each, with attendants on hand to move people along. And yet, those seconds feel like something else entirely. It’s cosmic. Dreamlike. Maybe even spiritual.

And for some people, that moment was big enough to be part of their actual wedding. Yep – a couple got married at the NGV and took their wedding photos inside one of Kusama’s Infinity Rooms. Not sure I love Kusama enough to go THAT far but there’s absolutely no denying that her reach, power and influence are unmatched.

And I think that’s epic.