While the name Yayoi Kusama might not sound familiar to you, you’ve definitely seen her art pop up all over social media. Well known for her infinity mirror rooms, Yayoi Kusama, 89, is considered one of the most expensive living female artists.
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This past year, I had the pleasure of working at The Broad Museum in Downtown Los Angeles which showcases one of her more recent and popular works, “The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away” (2013), as part of their permanent collection. Learning more about Yayoi Kusama, I’ve begun to realize that so many people take pictures of her art without knowing much about the amazing artist behind it.
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At a young age, Kusama began seeing hallucinations of polka dots that would cover everything she saw and flowers that would talk to her. It wasn’t long before polka dots and flowers along with the idea of repetition and infinity would become a prevalent theme in her works. When she started to feel that painting individual polka dots required too much time and energy, she began to play with mirrors to help her portray infinity in a way she physically couldn’t before.
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While many see her artworks as the perfect mirror selfie opportunity, Kusama has been creating infinity mirror rooms long before camera phones and social media. In 1965, Kusama built her very first infinity mirror room, “Phalli’s Field,” in which an accumulation of phallic-looking stuffed fabric would cover the entire floor of the room. Having seen her father have extramarital affairs, Kusama developed a fear of sex and men, and as such, she used the repetitive nature of her art to help her cope with these fears.
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Despite her aversion to sex, Kusama is an active advocate for free love, along with being anti-war and anti-capitalism. During her time in New York, she conducted happenings, which often involved her painting polka dots on nude models while they danced around on sidewalks and in public parks around the city. In 1968, she even put together what she called “the first Homosexual Wedding ever to be performed in the United States.”
Image via MoMA
Kusama is the embodiment of rebellion. As a child, she created art despite being punished by her mother for doing so. In 1966, Kusama crashed the Venice Biennale where she sold reflective silver balls to visitors with a sign that said “Your Narcissism for Sale.” Throughout the years, Kusama has found fame and success as a woman of color despite emerging in the U.S. at a time when the art industry was so heavily dominated by white men.
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Through her art, she spreads good feelings. Often using pumpkins in her art, Kusama explains that her love of pumpkins sprouts from the fact that they have a “humorous form, warm feeling, and a human-like quality and form.” Her famous pumpkins can be seen in various sizes all over the world.
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Her unique art style has been a source of inspiration for many. Yoko Ono has cited Kusama as one of her influences and Andy Warhol has been said to have stolen ideas from Kusama. She’s also collaborated with many famous brands such as Lancome and Louis Vuitton.
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Today, she resides at a mental hospital in Tokyo which she checked herself into in 1977. Kusama accredits art as having saved her life and continues to make art at her studio in Shinjuku.
Image via High Museum of Art