Lito & Kim Camacho’s collection of Yayoi Kusama art Ayala Museum

MANILA, Philippines - The Ayala Museum, with the support of the Japan Foundation-Manila, will open the exhibition “I Love Kusama” at its Ground Floor Gallery and Third Floor Glass Lane beginning July 16.

Presented under the heading of its newest exhibition program, “Collectors Series,” the Yayoi Kusama works featured in “I Love Kusama” digs into the treasure troves of Lito and Kim Camacho, who collect the works of Kusama. “Collectors Series,” through curated thematic exhibitions, aims to expand the understanding and appreciation of local and international art by providing the opportunity to view artworks that are usually not seen in public, especially a body of work of a single artist whom a collector admires.

Yayoi Kusama, born in Japan, 1929, is one of the leading and most influential figures of the avant-garde scene and is credited to be an important precursor of various art movements which took shape between the 1950s and ’60s, namely Minimalism, Feminism and Pop Art. Kusama remains active and relevant at 84, as attested by her works being one of the main highlights of the recently concluded ArtBasel HK.

Notable Kusama installations include her immersive infinity mirror rooms that have been featured in institutions like the Whitney Museum of American Art and Tate Modern, and her iconic spotted pumpkin sculptures seen on both indoor and outdoor exhibitions in different countries. In 2011, Kusama also worked with fashion designer Marc Jacobs for a line of whimsical products and corresponding window displays for Louis Vuitton.

With the assistance of the Camachos and the Japan Foundation-Manila, and the guidance of Ota Fine Arts, Yayoi Kusama Studio, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the exhibition at Ayala Museum will be the first major Yayoi Kusama show in the Philippines.

“I Love Kusama” is held in celebration of the 40th Year of the ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation and the Philippines-Japan Friendship Month. The exhibition will be on view until Sept. 1. As part of its education component, Ayala Museum has invited Akira Tatehata, one of the world’s leading experts on Kusama and the curator the Japanese Pavilion during the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993 (when Kusama represented the country) for a one-time lecture on Aug. 10, 4 p.m., at the Ayala Museum Ground Floor Lobby.

For information, call 757-7117 to 21, visit www.ayalamuseum.org, or e-mail museum_inquiry@ayalamuseum.org.