Reaching Bergamo from the center of Milan may take at least 40 minutes, but this year it may be worth it given that the Lombard city has been nominated together with Brescia as the Italian Capital of Culture 2023. A further reason may come from the exhibition that leads to the Palazzo della Ragione one of the most iconic Infinity Mirror Rooms created by the very popular Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. It is Fireflies on the Water, a famous installation created by Kusama in 2002 and coming from the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Fireflies on the Water is a room-sized installation meant to be viewed in solitude, one person at a time. It consists of a small dark room lined with mirrors on all sides; a pool of water in the center of the space into which a pier-like viewing platform protrudes; and 150 small lights hanging from the ceiling. In tandem, these components create a dazzling effect of direct and reflected light, emanating from both mirrors and the surface of the water. Space appears infinite, without top or bottom, beginning or end. The work embodies an almost hallucinatory approach to reality and also refers to the myth of Narcissus and the Japanese landscapes loved by Kusama.
