Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ downtown campus opens its eighth show in the Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Series to the public Saturday, Feb. 11—Yayoi Kusama: A Letter to Georgia O’Keeffe, one that ties together the works and careers of the two female artists, and their connection to nature as well.

In the spirit of past exhibitions in the series, Selby’s current show blends glimpses of the artists' creations with photos, documents and ephemera related to them, and horticultural exhibits inspired by their art. Walking the grounds of the gardens, prior to entering the Museum of Botany & the Arts, gives patrons a chance to find their own relationship to nature.

“Both of these iconic female artists were on our wish list,” said Selby president and CEO Jennifer Rominiecki at a press preview tour Thursday. “When we became aware of their correspondence, and the influence O’Keeffe had on Kusama, in the 1950s,” the Selby team saw a strong reason to combine the two into one show.

In the mid-1950s, Yayoi Kusama (now 94 and internationally known) was a young artist living in Japan, uncertain how to progress in the art world. She wrote a letter to the well-established O’Keeffe, whose work she had admired but whom she had never met. To her surprise, O’Keeffe responded, and eventually their letters back and forth gave Kusama the courage to try her luck in New York City, the center of the art world at that time.

Those familiar with O’Keeffe’s work and life in the deserts of New Mexico will not be surprised to see the use of cacti here—and, in one vignette, even a replica of a cow skull known from her paintings. In the case of Kusama, who has worked extensively with polka dots, netting and pumpkins, the vignettes at Selby also reference the infinity of a universe of dots.

Strolling the gardens from the Welcome Center on, one first sees Dot Matrix—round plants hanging under the center’s canopy that echo Kusama’s signature polka dots. As you move toward the Tropical Conservatory, you’ll notice the Starry Sky—constellations of tillandsias—hanging above you, as epiphyte plants do.

Inside the conservatory, a living wall of black and yellow plants (bromeliads and philodendrons), a bromeliad infinity room, and spheres floating in water pools greet the visitor. (There are even small koi fish swimming inside some of the spheres.) Sound is a part of the show here, too, with music by Japanese artists in various genres playing, reflecting not only Kusama’s Japanese roots but O’Keeffe’s interest in the country and its culture.

Marching on, you come across the Mirage vignette—columnar plants of varying heights emerging from the gardens’ koi pond that nod to Kusama’s soft sculpture pieces; and the Tillandsia Tunnel, a shaded path where hundreds (nearly 1,000 actually) of tillandsias fill nets suspended from ficus trees. Note: At each vignette, signs bearing QR codes make it possible for you to hear quotes from both artists, adding to the experience.

Pops of Red features circular planters bursting with red bromeliads overlooking the bay, against a background of crushed white shells—an homage to Kusama’s series Infinity Dots. (Visitors are encouraged to take a seat at some of the circular platforms here.) Shear Repetition offers round polka dot pavers and topiaries, while Enmeshed in Nature beckons guests to set foot into an environment of more red bromeliads, wound into nets. Reflections on a Landscape features that cow skull reflecting in water below it against a bank of monochromatic purple flowers (which will be accompanied by some large cacti soon). And Moments of Levity, just prior to entering the museum, presents hundreds of gray beach pebbles floating about chartreuse sedum, a bright green moss.

Once inside the museum, you can view letters between the two artists, photos of them and, eventually, reproductions of famous O’Keeffe flower paintings, along with the centerpiece: Kusama’s four-panel Infinity of Dots painting, loaned to the gardens by collector Keith D. Monda and The Ringling.

The exhibit continues through June 30; for more information, visit selby.org.