Yayoi Kusama Melbourne – NGV Dates, Tickets & Infinity Rooms

Yayoi Kusama brought her world-premiere retrospective to Melbourne’s NGV International, filling the entire ground floor with over 200 works and a record-setting number of immersive infinity mirror rooms. The exhibition ran from December 2024 through April 2025, marking one of the most comprehensive surveys of the Japanese artist’s eight-decade career ever mounted in Australia.

The show positioned Melbourne alongside global art capitals, offering visitors a chance to experience Kusama’s signature polka dots, celestial installations, and newly created works firsthand. Here’s everything visitors needed to know about attending the exhibition.

When and Where Is the Yayoi Kusama Exhibition in Melbourne?

The retrospective opened on 15 December 2024 and ran through 21 April 2025 at NGV International on St Kilda Road in Melbourne. The exhibition occupied the entire ground floor of the venue, making it Australia’s largest presentation of Kusama’s work and one of the most comprehensive globally.

Key Facts at a Glance

Getting to NGV International

The gallery sits along the St Kilda Road boulevard, which was enhanced with polka-dotted trees lining the approach to the building. Visitors travelling by public transport could reach the venue via the Arts Centre Melbourne stop, making the journey straightforward from across Melbourne.

Those driving found several parking options nearby, though public transport was generally recommended given the popularity of major exhibitions at this venue. The dot-covered trees along St Kilda Road created a visually cohesive experience even before entering the building.

How to Buy Tickets for Yayoi Kusama at NGV Melbourne

Entry to the exhibition required purchased tickets, available through the NGV website. The exhibition operated on timed entry slots to manage visitor flow and ensure an optimal experience within the immersive rooms.

Exact pricing details were available through the official booking platform. The NGV Gala opening event on 14 December 2024 offered a special preview evening before the public opening.

Free Elements Included

Not everything required a ticket. Outdoor sculptures scattered across the NGV grounds, works displayed in the main foyer, the children’s gallery activity, and the polka-dotted trees along St Kilda Road remained accessible without charge. These free elements extended the Kusama experience beyond the ticketed exhibition spaces.

What to Expect from Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Installations in Melbourne

The exhibition presented over 200 works spanning Kusama’s career, with many pieces never before seen in Australia. The display followed a thematic chronology, guiding visitors from her earliest sketches through to recent creations, including paintings made after 2021 that drew from childhood memories and natural forms.

Ten immersive artworks formed the centrepiece of the show, setting a new record for the most infinity rooms ever assembled in a single venue. The installations transformed familiar spaces into seemingly endless realms of reflection and light.

Featured Installations and Sculptures

Infinity Mirrored Room–My Heart is Filled to the Brim with Sparkling Light (2024) marked its world premiere at the NGV, creating an endless celestial universe that visitors entered individually or in small groups. The room’s mirrors and lights produced an immersive environment characteristic of Kusama’s most celebrated work.

The Dancing Pumpkin sculpture stood five metres tall, cast in bronze with Kusama’s signature yellow-and-black polka dot pattern. The walk-under design allowed visitors to position themselves beneath the towering form, creating photograph opportunities that became iconic images of the Melbourne exhibition.

Site-Specific Extensions

Beyond the indoor galleries, the exhibition extended into the surrounding landscape. Polka-dotted trees lined the St Kilda Road boulevard, a waterwall feature bore the artist’s distinctive patterns, and the Great Hall housed Dots Obsession, where floating spheres created a mesmerising environment responding to the architecture.

Families found welcome respite in the free Obliteration Room in the children’s gallery, where young visitors could contribute their own sticker dots to a continuously evolving installation.

Programming Alongside the Exhibition

The retrospective coincided with NGV Friday Nights running from 20 December 2024 through 18 April 2025, extending opening hours on selected evenings with additional programming. The Asia TOPA festival partnership brought Pulau (Island), a dance performance by Melanie Lane, to the Great Hall on 22–23 February 2025, directly responding to Kusama’s installations in that space.

Who Is Yayoi Kusama and Why Visit Her Melbourne Show?

Yayoi Kusama was born in 1929 in Matsumoto, Japan, and has become one of the most influential contemporary artists of her generation. Her contributions to Minimalism, Pop Art, and feminist art have shaped movements across the United States, Europe, and Japan over the course of eight decades.

Raised on her family’s plant nursery, she began drawing at age ten and quickly developed the enduring themes that would define her practice. After studying traditional Japanese painting in Kyoto, she corresponded with American painter Georgia O’Keeffe and began producing experimental works that drew attention in Japan before her eventual move abroad.

Artistic Style and Recurring Motifs

Her signature visual language centres on polka dots, infinity nets, and organic accumulations. Soft sculptures transformed domestic forms into repetitive installations, while her pioneering work in the 1960s introduced immersive environments that influenced generations of artists who followed.

Due to reduced mobility, Kusama now creates her recent paintings from her living space, where nature, childhood recollections, and cosmic imagery continue to inspire new work. Despite these constraints, her creative output remains prolific and deeply connected to the obsessions that have driven her practice since childhood.

What to Know Before You Go

The exhibition received widespread praise from critics and cultural commentators. Descriptions ranged from “blockbuster” to “profound,” with particular emphasis on the depth achieved despite the popular appeal of the immersive installations.

NGV Director Tony Ellwood publicly endorsed the exhibition, highlighting both Kusama’s global cultural presence and Melbourne’s growing role as a destination for world-class art exhibitions. The exclusive world-premiere content gave the Melbourne show particular significance for art enthusiasts who might otherwise travel to see such work in Tokyo, London, or New York.

Visitor Guidance

The recommended approach followed the exhibition’s thematic layout, beginning with early works and progressing chronologically toward the new infinity room. This path allowed visitors to understand how Kusama’s recurring motifs evolved across different periods and mediums.

Public programs, including curator talks and educational activities, enhanced the experience for those seeking deeper understanding beyond the visual spectacle. Photography policies varied by installation, with some spaces permitting images while others prohibited cameras to preserve the immersive quality.

Is the Exhibition Still Running?

The retrospective closed on 21 April 2025. At the time of the exhibition’s run, no extensions had been announced, making the closing date definitive for those who had not yet visited.

For visitors who missed the Melbourne presentation, the exhibition’s closing aligned with Kusama’s ongoing global touring schedule. Her work regularly appears in exhibitions and museum collections worldwide, though the specific collection assembled in Melbourne—including the world-premiere infinity room and acquired Dancing Pumpkin sculpture—remained unique to this presentation.

Sources and Perspectives

Kusama’s global presence and the significance of bringing her work to Melbourne cannot be overstated. This exhibition affirms our city’s standing as a destination for world-class art.

— NGV Director Tony Ellwood

Information in this guide draws from official NGV exhibition materials, press coverage from arts publications, and publicly available documentation from the National Gallery of Victoria. Specific pricing, opening hour details, and timed entry availability should be confirmed directly through the NGV website when planning future visits to similar exhibitions.

The exhibition received substantial documentation through photography by Sean Fennessy and Kate Shanesy, with additional coverage in dedicated arts and culture outlets throughout its run.

Summary

The Yayoi Kusama retrospective at NGV International represented a landmark cultural event for Melbourne and Australia. With over 200 works, a record ten immersive infinity rooms, and world-premiere installations, the exhibition offered an unparalleled opportunity to engage with one of contemporary art’s most influential figures.

Visitors planning to attend similar exhibitions were advised to book tickets early, take advantage of free outdoor elements, and allow sufficient time to experience the full scope of the display. The Melbourne Cup 2025 and other city events often coincide with major gallery programming, making it worth checking the NGV calendar when planning a visit. Those considering travel to Japan might also explore Flights to Japan from Melbourne for connections to Kusama exhibitions in her home country.

Frequently Asked Questions