yayoi kusama

Japanese artist, 1929 – present

Yayoi Kusama is one of my favorite artists who emerged in the 60s, hailing from Matsumoto Japan. Her paintings, sculptures and installations all revolve around her mad obsession with repetition, infinity, pattern and accumulation. She is an interesting character due to her mental illness – she had experienced hallucinations and severe obsessive thoughts since childhood, often in a suicidal nature.

Polka dots, “infinity nets”, flowers,and later, penises became a clear obsession of hers in her work. She is often part of her own work- as the key figure in an installation or as part of a painting or photograph. She moved to New York when she was 27 and became a strong force in the art world, competing with Andy Warhol for media attention.

here is a video of kusama at work:

yayoi kusama, revolutionary avant-garde artist