Limited-time Polka Dot Storm — Yayoi Kusama Café closes on September 30
▲ Taiwan’s only Yayoi Kusama Café.
Reported and photographed by Huang Shih-yuan / Taipei
Yayoi Kusama’s Asia Tour Exhibition made its Taiwan debut in Kaohsiung and will move to the Taichung National Museum of Fine Arts on June 6. But what about Taipei? Due to venue issues, there was no Taipei stop for the tour, leaving many fans disappointed. To make up for it, the organizers worked with the Yayoi Kusama Studio and obtained official authorization to set up Taiwan’s only limited-time Yayoi Kusama Café & Cultural Creative Space at Huashan 1914 Creative Park. The space is covered in red and white dots, making you feel as if you’ve stepped into Yayoi Kusama’s dotted world.
▲ The desserts and drinks are all adorable and Instagram-worthy.
The Yayoi Kusama Café & Cultural Creative Space is located within Huashan 1914 Creative Park and officially opened on May 3. It is a collaboration between Time Art Media’s Pick Art and Zhanlu Café. Pick Art handles operations, while Zhanlu Café is responsible for coffee, desserts, and other food and beverage development and service. Huang Chia-ling, manager of the merchandise operations department at Time Art Media, said that every arrangement and design inside the café, including the placement and size of the dots, even the dots on the desserts and the coffee powder patterns on the coffee, had to be adjusted and approved by the Yayoi Kusama Studio.
The dots in the café aren’t printed as large graphics but are made with dot stickers produced by a printing factory approved by the Yayoi Kusama Studio. Staff sent from Japan then manually applied each sticker to the walls, ceilings, floors, tables, and chairs, demonstrating an exceptional attention to detail. However, the floor dots can wear out due to moving furniture, high heels, and other factors. Huang Chia-ling mentioned that repairs will be carried out periodically. She emphasized that even when replacing stickers, Japanese staff will ensure the new dots are positioned exactly as originally designed.
▲ Besides coffee and desserts, the Yayoi Kusama Café also sells merchandise.
There are two types of merchandise sold in the café, both authorized by the Yayoi Kusama Studio. One type consists of limited-edition items flown in directly from Japan, imported through Japanese distributors, which makes them slightly more expensive. The other type includes exhibition-themed merchandise authorized by the Yayoi Kusama Studio and produced in Taiwan.
The Yayoi Kusama Café & Cultural Creative Space is not a permanent shop and will close one month after the Taichung stop of the tour (on September 30), meaning it will only be open for five months. If you want to enjoy coffee in this dotted wonderland, don’t miss your chance.
Yayoi Kusama Café & Cultural Creative Space
Location: Zhongsi Building, Huashan 1914 Creative Park (No. 1, Section 1, Bade Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City), facing Zhongxiao East Road
Operating period: May 3, 2015 – September 30
Operating hours: Daily 11:00 – 21:00
Phone: 02-2395-9612
Dining duration: 90 minutes
▲ There’s a wall full of dots at the back — perfect for photos.
▲ The coffee and desserts are also great spots for pictures.
These photos show the atmosphere you can currently experience at the exhibition.
▲ As a non-permanent pop-up restaurant, there’s no signboard. The Yayoi Kusama Café & Cultural Creative Space is located in Zhongsi Building, just a bit ahead of the pasta shop.
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