Once upon a time, a princess found a pumpkin and fell deeply in love… wait, that’s not right. Let’s try that again.
Once upon a time, Cinderella’s pumpkin magically developed spots and ran away to Tahiti… no, that’s not it either. And this pumpkin is in Japan. Once more from the top.
Once upon a time, your trusty Owl Hours correspondent backpacked through Japan on her own, in search of a better, more worldly, and more confident self. Instead, she found a pumpkin. But it wasn’t just any pumpkin, dear readers — it was the kindest, most comforting pumpkin in the world.
You see, this pumpkin is special. A site-specific installation piece by Yayoi Kusama, it sits on a pier off the island of Naoshima, on the Inland Sea. It’s in good company, too, since Naoshima is home to the Benesse Art Site. With dozens of site-specific artworks, five museums, seven vacant houses that were transformed into immersive art pieces, eight municipal buildings designed by the architect Kazuhiro Ishii, and various other artistic projects throughout the island, Naoshima is a veritable visual playground.
Surrounded by other works of art, it may be difficult to fathom why the pumpkin is the piece most worthy of notice. Yet it’s often viewed as the unofficial symbol of Naoshima, and postcards of it are readily available all over the island. It’s honestly difficult to find a time to photograph it, since it’s often swarmed with tourists. So clearly it’s both famous and photogenic. But there’s also an indescribable quality to the pumpkin, the way that it sits on the pier and seems to be quietly looking out at the ocean — as if it were contemplating life.
It also seems to have a naturally friendly presence, inasmuch as a sculpture of a pumpkin can be “friendly.” This most likely has to do with Kusama’s intentions when creating the piece. Pumpkins are a recurring theme in her work, and when asked to tell a joke for an interview with The Guardian, she responded “I don’t know any. But pumpkins have always made me smile.” She also has a work entitled “All the Eternal Love I Have For Pumpkins.” This love comes through clearly in her work, and lends the pumpkin on Naoshima an affectionate kind of appeal.
So will the pumpkin grant you inner peace? Turn into a coach and whisk you off to a ball? Make the world’s greatest jack-‘o-lantern? Probably not. But if you ever find yourself on Naoshima, do yourself a favor. Go and find Kusama’s pumpkin, and just sit next to it. Look out at the sea and contemplate the view. You just may find yourself thinking that a world which has a place for polka-dotted pumpkins isn’t so bad after all.
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