Yayoi Kusama is an outstanding Japanese artist and one the brightest representatives of pop-art and avant-garde art. Kusama gained worldwide popularity with her extraordinary installations and her signature polka dots. Her art influenced Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg and many other artists, and combines feminism, minimalism, and pop-art. It ranges from sculpture, installation, performances and fashion design to literary works, short stories and poetry. Kusama is now the highest selling living woman artist, and she hit the record in 2014 with her work sold at Christie’s for $7,1mln.
Kusama was born in Japan and studied the traditional Japanese Nihonga painting technique, which she found too rigid, being more interested in American and European avant-garde. After several exhibitions in Japan, in 1957 Kusama came to the USA, where she became part of the New York pop ar and avant-garde scene, exhibiting her works together with Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, George Sigal and others. In addition to painting, Kusama turns to other art forms — sculpture, installation and performance. She gains popularity when staging “happenings” where naked people, animals and objects are painted with her signature polka dots. This performance is called Kusama’s Self-Obliteration (1967) and has its roots in the childhood paintings, which Yayoi Kusama painted at the age of 10, when trying to overcome the hallucinations and mental health issues. At that time she imagined the pattern leaving the frames of the picture and covering all other surrounding objects, everything in the room including the artist herself. Kusama later used this experience to express the idea of the transformation of borders between the real life and the imaginary world.
Yayoi has often wanted to escape from life and its petty problems; she longed to become one with the universe and feel its boundless love. She wanted to embody compassion, and compassion wanted to embody her. This is why her works are infused with kindness, love, and a desire to share goodness with others, to uplift spirits and bring smiles. Her creativity is primarily a means to understand herself and address her inner struggles. Only after that does it become a call to the world for society. It’s about the intention to share her own experiences to help others with their issues.
Despite her psychological challenges and occasional disorders, Kusama has never harbored hatred for her life or what she did.
She created without letting evil triumph, always focusing on the good — on places, new experiences, goals, and adventures. Through her paintings, she aimed to bring joy and love to people.
“Awe in the face of life and death. That is my philosophy. We are all moving toward the passage of life. And life is hard; it can be filled with suffering and pain. … but my hope has always been to convey joy and human love to people through creativity. I often think about what it means to be an artist in this world today. After all, this is a time of chaos, arguments, and discord. And yet, we can still see the light around us… My one wish is for everyone to feel the love and joy that surrounds them. So please, when you leave, pass these words on to others. I would be very grateful for that. Please tell them that I create art with the sole purpose of bringing joy and peace into the world and sharing it with others.”
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