Yayoi Kusama (1929-Present)

Sometimes breaking the rules and going against conventional techniques leads to bigger and better things. We’ve seen this with impressionism along with other artistic movements that ultimately led us to the contemporary art that exists in the world today. Artists are now able to freely express themselves in various mediums and create bold and recognizable works that are influential, and one of these artists includes contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama.

Born and raised in Japan in 1929, Yayoi Kusama’s early life was far from the ideal childhood. Kusama experienced many hallucinations throughout her childhood from a young age that caused her to see dots everywhere she looked. Through this experience, she began using art as a therapeutic outlet to express these visions. Kusama also dealt with many parental issues and arguments due to her parent’s arranged marriage. Because of this, her father was unhappy with the relationship and went on to have many ongoing affairs, which would lead her mother to grow envious and take her frustrations on young Kusama. Sometimes Kusama would also be sent out by her mother to spy on her father when he participated in these affairs. As a result of this practice, it left Kusama with sexual anxiety. Both of these factors would later go to influence the themes that are present in her work.

As 1957 rolled around, Yayoi moved from Japan to New York City to pursue her passions in art, where she began developing her style and themes in her work. Kusama’s work is often characterized by dots both in paintings and exhibitions. Many of her pieces surround the themes of sexual anxiety and expression of her emotions and past. I personally find it inspiring how Kusama is able to turn her past experiences into art and share it with the world through exhibitions. Despite her past not being positive, she is able to turn it into something beautiful for others to enjoy and connect with her audience through it. I also appreciate her exhibition pieces as they give the viewer a first-person view of Kusama’s thoughts and creative mind. I think this is typically rare to see an artist do, but with her use of bright colours and patterns, she has created work that is unique and interesting.

Since the 1950s, Kusama has flourished in the art world, collaborating with brands such as Louis Vuitton and Veuve Clicquot to create patterns for handbags and champagne bottles. Kusama now lives in Japan in a psychiatric asylum and continues to produce art. She continues to express her pain and emotions through each brushstroke, creating pieces that would later be shown to the world.

Sources:

Cole, Rachel. “Yayoi Kusama.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 21 June 2019, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Yayoi-Kusama.

Gotthardt, Alexxa. “6 Works That Explain Yayoi Kusama’s Rise to Art World Stardom.” Artsy, 21 June 2018, https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-6-works-explain-yayoi-kusamas-rise-art-stardom.

“Yayoi Kusama Biography, Life & Quotes.” The Art Story, 18 Apr. 2017, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/kusama-yayoi/life-and-legacy/#biography_header.

Header Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yayoi_Kusama