Jason Daniel Shaw

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Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors

Jason Shaw

THE BROAD | LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

One of the hottest tickets in town right now gets you into the Broad Museum to see Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrors exhibit.  If you have been on Instagram in the last month you have probably seen at least a dozen people showcasing her art.  The artist from Japan has created an exhibit that just begs to be shared through social media; in fact that is part of her mission with Infinity Mirrors.  Make sure to get by the Broad to check it out before it leaves on January 1, 2018.

THE BROAD MUSEUM

The Broad Museum is located on Grand Ave. in Downtown Los Angeles and while it sits among some of the best architecture in the city (Walt Disney Concert Hall, Dorthy Chandler Pavillion, Ahmanson Theatre, etc.), its own striking design is one that is not to be missed.  Opening only in September of 2015, the Broad has quickly become one of the most popular museums in town.  General admission to the museum is free but be prepared to stand in line to gain access unless you are lucky enough to score advanced tickets.  On the first of every month, they release tickets for the following month.  If you aren't quick enough to secure tickets through these advanced reservations, which quickly sell out, the only way to get in is through the standby line.  Every day except Monday (the only day that the museum is closed), a standby line forms in front of the museum for general admission, often hours before the museum actually opens.  This is the same line that you must wait in to also get tickets to the special exhibits, which happens to be the Infinity Mirrors exhibit right now.

THE LINE AT THE BROAD MUSEUM

The hours for both the general admission third floor galleries as well as the Infinity Mirrors exhibit are listed below.

Monday | CLOSED

Tuesday | Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors Exhibition: 11 a.m.–7 p.m. | General Admission Galleries: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Wednesday | Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors Exhibition: 11 a.m.–7 p.m. | General Admission Galleries: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Thursday | Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors Exhibition: 10 a.m.–9 p.m. | General Admission Galleries: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.

Friday | Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors Exhibition: 10 a.m.–9 p.m. | General Admission Galleries: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.

Saturday | Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors Exhibition: 9 a.m.–10 p.m. | General Admission Galleries: 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

Sunday | Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors Exhibition: 9 a.m.–8 p.m. | General Admission Galleries: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

I would recommend arriving by 8:00am Tuesday through Friday and by 7:00am on Saturday and Sunday as the tickets are first come, first serve and there are only a limited number of them.  You can follow along with the status of the standby line as well as the availability of the Infinity Mirror tickets by monitoring the @thebroadstandby Twitter account.  They update it frequently with the wait times as well as whether there are still tickets available.  Once you reach the front of the line and assuming they still have tickets available, you will be offered the next available time slot or be able to pick from future time slots that fit your needs (as long as it is the same day).  After you select your time and pay the $30 per ticket (maximum 6 tickets), you will be emailed the tickets and told to arrive a few minutes before your scheduled time.

INSIDE THE BROAD MUSEUM

Once you arrive at your scheduled time, you will queue along the side of the building where someone will verify that your ID matches the name on the tickets.  This line is relatively short (15 minutes or so) and you will quickly find yourself inside the museum lobby.  Once inside the museum, you aren’t finished with the lines.  Your next stop is to once again queue along the glass windows while someone once again checks your ID to confirm that you are still in fact, the name on the ticket.  Lines will be the theme of the remainder of your visit through the exhibit.  Some are short, others are a little longer but as you will soon see, the exhibit is well worth the wait.  The lobby is decorated with giant pink and black polka dotted inflatable balls that part of Yayoi Kusama’s work and should definitely be a part of your instagram adventure.

THE EXHIBIT AT THE BROAD MUSEUM

The Infinity Mirrors exhibit consists of a series of six rooms with different galleries in between them.  Each room is slightly different variants of the infinity mirrors with each one offering something different.  I won’t spoil the fun here as you will have to see for yourself what each one holds.  The galleries that are between them are of various paintings and sculptures that Kusama has produced throughout the years.  Take time to learn about her life through her work while you wait for the next room to become available.  You are allowed 30 seconds in each of the six rooms and not allowed to go back through a room.  The entire exhibit is like a giant one way street.  You are allowed to spend as much time as you want browsing the other work between the rooms.  You will enter the rooms with your group (a maximum of three people).  You don’t realize how short 30 seconds is until you try to create the perfect instagram picture in such a short time.  The final stop is an interactive art piece that you will be given the chance to help create the art.  Once you are done with the special exhibit, you are free to explore the third floor galleries which I suggest you take advantage of because there are a lot of amazing pieces up there.

TIPS & TRICKS FOR THE BROAD MUSEUM

  • Go on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday if possible to reduce your wait time.

  • Arrive early to ensure that you get the time that works for you and your group.

  • Bring a folding chair and something to read while you wait.

  • Make sure that whoever’s name in on the tickets is with you when you arrive.

  • Carry only what you absolutely need into the exhibit.

  • Visit the third floor exhibits before you leave the museum.

  • Make sure to not only take pictures, but experience the art.

OUR EXPERIENCE AT THE BROAD MUSEUM

We visited the exhibit on a Friday and arrived just a few minutes after 8:00am.  We were able to find metered parking just a block away and by the time that we arrived at the line, there was already around 30 people ahead of us.   We took turns standing in line while, me running around taking pictures of the exterior of the museum as well as some of the other surrounding museums and Amanda going to get her morning coffee fix.  They started selling the tickets around 9:45am that day with the exhibit actually opening at 10:00am.  We opted for 1:15pm as we had another friend joining us and decided we would grab lunch first.  Once we had our tickets, we walked around the area and took some Instagram-worthy photos before getting lunch at Clifton’s Cafeteria (a must-visit when in downtown LA).

We arrived back at the Broad around 1:05pm and got in line.  We spent the next few hours going through both the Infinity Mirrors exhibit as well as the third floor galleries.  In the end, the museum consumed our whole Friday but it was well worth it and a great day.  I would highly suggest visiting the exhibit before it leaves on January 1, 2018.  If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me on here or on Instagram.