Yayoi Kusama is still riding high. On the occasion of this year’s edition of the Manchester International Festival, the Japanese artist has designed You, Me & the Balloons. This exhibition showcases Kusama’s most significant inflatable works created over the past 30 years, an unmissable opportunity developed in a dedicated space, the new industrial space of Aviva Studios in Manchester. The installations will be open for visitation until August 28.

With a height of 10 meters and suspended elements on a 21-meter high ceiling, vibrant colors and psychedelic atmospheres come to life. But that’s not all; once inside the exhibition, visitors can also admire The Hope of the Polka Dots Buried in Infinity will Eternally Cover the Universe (2019), Song of a Manhattan Suicide Addict (2007), A Bouquet of Love I Saw in the Universe (2021), and positioned on the floor, Clouds (2023).

Meanwhile, the iconic Dots Obsession series (1996/2023) takes on a new form in Manchester. The imposing polka dot forms suspended in space expand into the 65-meter depth of the space, with the addition of one of Yayoi Kusama’s famous infinity mirror rooms.

A special mention goes to Songs of a Manhattan Suicide Addict – a video projection that shows Kusama engaging in a song that describes her experience with depression – and Clouds, where visitors can sit or lie down for a truly unique and rare occasion.