The Process of Transcending: Yayoi Kusama
It’s no exaggeration to say that Yayoi Kusama is one of the most prominent contemporary artists of our time. Boasting a near seven-decade-long art career, this Japanese artist has managed to achieve astounding levels of critical acclaim. Her distinctive installations and sensational polka dot motifs have dazzled a global audience-you may have seen pictures of her Infinity Mirrors circulating on Instagram or recognized her unique style in the public space.
Although many are quite familiar with Kusama’s presence, the incredible reach of her work is largely unrecognized. In 2017, a 50-year retrospective opened for Kusama at the Hirshhorn Museum, showcasing a signature Kusama “Pumpkin” (2016) in the Sculpture Gardens. This groundbreaking event drew entire crowds of people, selling out thousands of tickets in mere hours. In the same year, the Yayoi Kusama Museum was opened in Tokyo, completely dedicated to housing and representing Kusama’s art. The museum’s inaugural exhibition featured around 600 of her works. In addition to having events and museums dedicated to her, Kusama has also received countless awards in recognition of her art, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women’s Caucus for Art , Asahi Prize (2001), and French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2003) , just to name a few. In 2006, she also became the first Japanese female Praemium Imperiale Laureate , one of Japan’s highest honors for internationally recognized artists awarded by the Japanese Imperial family. Critics around the world are truly mesmerized and delighted by Kusama’s work.
However, despite her impressive global presence, Kusama’s works are not entirely exclusive to the gallery either. She has done countless commissions in the public space, such as “Les Tulipes de Shangri La at Gare de Lille Europe Lille France , “Hello, Anyang With Love” at Pyeonghwa Park, Anyang, Korea , and Hymn of Life: Tulips in Beverley Gardens Park, LA . These distinct artworks strongly represent the permanence of Kusama’s appeal to a wide variety of cultures and countries. Even beyond the gallery space and the street space, Kusama’s works have wedged themselves into the public’s lives. Her travelling installations allow anybody to participate in her work and with her rise in online popularity, the number of people trying to see her work has increased tremendously. During her retrospective at the Hirshhorn, nearly 160,000 people visited Infinity Mirrors over a three-month period, helping to double the museum’s average attendance with a record 475,000 visitors.
While these accomplishments and markers of success should be properly acknowledged, it isn’t the only reason why we should learn about Yayoi Kusama. When we talk about the artist and her work, we largely focus on her eye-catching installation pieces and her unique sense of style. We may even look at her mesmerizing polka dot creations or conceptual sculptural pieces. These are more than valid ways to remember Kusama’s work. After all, these works have granted Kusama critical acclaim and have inspired many other creatives around the world. However, there are still many more facets of Kusama’s artistic career that we don’t acknowledge, so much of her artistry that we can learn from and so much respect we can have for this pioneering artist.
To better understand Kusama and her vision, we can examine the subjects or themes of her work, with a few specific examples for reference, and explore their history and relevance.
Self-Obliteration
You’re probably quite familiar with this term in regards to Kusama’s art; her iconic polka dots have specifically demonstrated this idea over and over. Kusama has been exploring these concepts for decades, her inspiration stemming from early childhood trauma. Growing up in conservative Japan, Kusama’s artistic endeavors as a child were stifled by her parents. Her mother, who expected her daughter to become a traditional housewife, would often snatch away her sketches. Due to this, she learned to draw quickly, getting her ideas down in a frenzy-like state, as if her art would be taken at any moment. This method of working would stick with her for the rest of her life. Today, Kusama can spend hours at her studio, working to create her vision. In this process, she almost loses herself to her art, allowing her mind and hands to be wholly involved in making a new piece.
Her mother’s verbal and emotional abuse also caused the artist great stress-induced trauma as a young girl. It is in her childhood that her guiding visions began. Kusama recalls moments experiencing overwhelming and vivid hallucinations. In one scenario, Kusama recalls being in a field of tall flowers and becoming dizzy as they loomed over her. At that moment, she describes being swallowed up by her visions, losing touch of her physical body and the material world. She would continue to experience these hallucinations in various places and at various times of her childhood. She also recalls having a similar out-of-body experience gazing upon the clusters of pebbles by the riverbank.
These unique experiences would then become one of Kusama’s most beloved and versatile motifs: polka dots. Polka dots became an icon of Kusama’s exploration of self-obliteration. Her only film, exemplifies her obsession with the shape. Many are not aware of these early non-installation works by her. However, this video is a fantastic example of Kusama’s enduring vision This video also ties in themes of freedom and sexuality, which the artist was passionate about. Watching this video is like having an out-of-body experience as one’s eyes and ears are flooded with psychedelic images and music. Total immersion washes over one’s being. Kusama transforms her body and space by painting polka dots and arranging various common items. As she goes through this process, she works her models and props into a state of obliteration, returning them to the infinite universe. You can almost imagine her guiding you by the hand, as you join her ritual. Shortly after the release of this short film, the artist dubbed herself the “Priestess of Polkadots.” This spiritual self-recognition was integral to her presence in the art world. Kusama establishes herself as the maker of her destiny, learning to control the uncontrollable, and finding clarity in the dizziness of polka dots.
Several decades later, Kusama once again wields the great power of polka dots and obliteration to create the “Obliteration Room.” In the all-white domestic space, Kusama places the power of the piece into the hands of the participants. Each visitor would place a colored dot anywhere they wished, transforming the blank space into a burst of color. The clustered polka dots blurred the lines of physical space, eventually becoming a large and indiscernible swath of colors. The room grew to take on the desires, character and emotions of those visitors, representing not only the way we are all able to play a role in destiny, but also the way we are so minuscule in comparison to the vast power of others. In the same way that Kusama experienced the overwhelming power of many in her childhood, a viewer in this room can also become swallowed up wholly, their consciousness fading away and their body becoming light.
Infinity and Freedom
Polka dots have also served as the faithful vessel for Kusama’s exploration of “infinity.” Her longest enduring and greatest body of work, “Infinity Nets,” has been a staple of her career. Infinity nets are pieces composed of repetitive brushstrokes, creating a web of colors and shapes. Kusama channels her emotions and leaves them behind in the form of a mark on the canvas. Undoubtedly, the pioneering work for this series is “The Pacific Ocean, 1959”, created a year after the artist came to New York City. One can only imagine how Kusama felt, with a few dollar bills sewn into her kimono travelling across the vast Pacific, chasing her dreams while conquering the impossible. This piece truly symbolizes the beginnings of Kusama’s rise in the New York art scene and her turbulent struggles as a foreign female artist. While Kusama was partially inspired by the abstract expressionist movement of the time, her work and vision are completely original, intriguing many curators and critics. Her success story would have many chapters of pain and grief, but Kusama’s hunger for respect fueled her.
We can’t talk about Kusama and her work without at least mentioning her “Infinity Mirrors.” “Infinity Mirrors” are a quintessential part of Kusama’s portfolio, beloved and well-known by people across the world. She seemed to always be tastefully aware of people’s desires and fluctuating emotions. With news of the moon launch in the 60s, Kusama opened the world’s first mirrored room called “Infinity Mirror Room — Phalli’s Field, 1965.” The artist took advantage of this moment in history to push a truly unfamiliar inquiry: “What is infinity?” She was able to utilize phallic soft sculptures and this new mirror techniquess to represent a remarkable and efficient display of the endless. While Kusama’s works have always attracted the eye and invited participants to view them critically, this mirrored display broke the boundaries for what it meant to engage an art audience. This work also interestingly places the viewer as the subject of the art. The viewer’s position has been elevated — instead of merely participating, the viewer becomes the art, as one solid being becomes lost in the mysterious expanse of space. The mesmerizing quality of this mirrored room could be felt back then and can still be felt today. Today, audiences flock in the thousands to get a glimpse of Kusama’s works. The mere mention of her name in a gallery can summon hordes of eager admirers.
But before she gained this level of fervent admiration from the public, she faced great suffering. Her shocking art drew the attention of many other artists, looking to replicate the same magic she made. Kusama’s artistic voice became hushed, forcing her to become a passive bystander when she so desperately wanted to be a leader. At her lowest, when all of her freedom was taken away, Kusama flung herself out of her apartment window. However, it seems that the universe was not ready to accept her fall just yet. She survived, and with the help of a few friends, bounced back for a while.
Scorned by the elitist gallery art space, she took herself to the 1966 Venice Biennale to show off her “Narcissus Garden, 1966.” While uninvited, Kusama set up a display of shiny silver balls on the lawn of the event. Each mirrored ball reflected its surroundings, both the scenery and people, distorting the images in its surface. As a passerby gazed upon the car, they would find only their faces looking back at them, their reflection a twisted representation of vanity. Fitting with the title “narcissus,” this installation forced viewers to confront their ego. Kusama encouraged this as she stands amid the balls, selling the balls and also selling her customers their image. Some view this as the artist’s protest of the commercialization of art. Through this event, Kusama asserted herself as she defied the wishes of the Venice Biennale, consequently freeing herself from the confines of the prestigious art world. By becoming a “peddler” in this exhibit, she brilliantly promoted her art, bringing back the attention which she lost from others stealing her work.
Perhaps the most astounding aspect of Narcissus Garden is the way its meaning has changed over time. Kusama created this as an act of rebellion and liberation, a satire on the complex and unfair nature of the art scene. She stood in the middle of her mirrored balls in 1966, selling it for 2 dollars apiece as a largely underappreciated artist, desperate for others to know her name. Now as the piece and artist have gained recognition and been recreated in various locations, the meaning of the work has shifted. Each ball has become a symbol for self-importance and prestige, the very things Kusama wanted to criticize with the original exhibit. The prominence of her art online has also drawn a different generation of consumers, wielding mobile devices to experience the art. As they take a photo of the mirrored balls, the reflection of the phone and their face can be captured too, breathing new life into the meaning of narcissism. The way in which Kusama’s art is able to not only maintain aesthetics and enjoyment, but also transform with changing waves of viewers, is surely indicative of her power.
Sexuality and Identity
An often under-recognized, but vitally important, element of Kusama’s art is her persistent and revolutionary exploration of sexuality and identity. Kusama’s father was a known adulterer, and Kusama’s mother often sent the young girl out to spy on her father’s affairs. Kusama recalls catching her father frequently in compromising situations, causing her to fear sex. This fear of sex, combined with the idea of all-consuming obsessions, led to her earliest soft sculptures. “Accumulation No 1, 1962” was a groundbreaking sculptural piece that depicted the phallic form in a new way. She would cover chairs and sofas with these stuffed pieces, eventually dubbing them “compulsion furniture.” The transformation of common household items also influenced the budding Pop art movement, demonstrating Kusama’s advanced vision. Unfortunately, these soft sculptures would then be copied by many other artists once again. It’s certainly ironic how Kusama’s works “inspired” other male artists, especially given her difficulties as a Japanese female artist in an overwhelmingly male-dominated art scene. She was often exoticised and sexualized by others, her talents undermined and ideas stolen. The artist would face endless criticism and plagiarism throughout her career. This mounting pressure and frustration would place great strains on her mental health.
However, the ever-determined Kusama continued to subvert the public’s perception. Her powerful performance art from the 60s such as “Walking Piece” represents Kusama taking ownership of her art and presence in the art world. In “Walking Piece,” she walks around the dirty, cold streets of New York City in a delicate and colorful kimono, asserting her identity as a Japanese woman while accepting her outsider status. Despite struggling for years to get the credit she deserved, Kusama nonetheless knew how to capture the public’s attention and persisted against the racial and gender boundaries placed before her.
Kusama, 91, now willingly resides in a mental health facility in Tokyo. She continues to make art in her studio, which is just a short distance from the hospital. After all these years, her need to create has not faltered. Art has been her saving grace, preventing her from succumbing to the overwhelming thoughts that have followed her for a lifetime. To acknowledge Kusama’s true relevance in the art world, we must understand the great turmoil she experienced throughout her life. Her pioneering ideas can be found in the shadows of other artist’s work, unrecognized and unappreciated. While her art may certainly fascinate both the commercial world and the general public, Kusama’s legacy and artistry are truly unmatched by any other. She has taken her fears, struggles and dynamic character and translated it into brilliant art. She has shaken-and continues to shake-the art world, questioning and expressing what others do not. She has captured these seemingly intangible concepts of “self-obliteration” and “infinity” so meticulously, presenting them in a way that has captivated generations of viewers. Her relevance across nearly seven decades is a testament to her ability to resonate with all audiences. Persisting in the face of opposition again and again, Yayoi Kusama’s entire career and being represents the incredible process of transcending across all spheres of life.
Want to learn more about Yayoi Kusama? Check out these resources!
https://publicdelivery.org/yayoi-kusama-pumpkins/ https://www.artandobject.com/articles/why-everyone-loves-kusama https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/yayoi-kusama-8094/yayoi-kusamas-early-years https://www.npr.org/2017/03/01/516659735/priestess-of-polka-dots-yayoi-kusama-gives-gallerygoers-a-taste-of-infinity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT360Glhb9o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VwJMw_fLvI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRZR3nsiIeA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZBC3nmvJb8
Rachel Guo (17) is a rising senior in the Humanities Program at Poolesville High School. She loves anything and everything related to art, culture, society, or history! She spends her time chatting with her friends and practicing lots of self-care. You can find her on Instagram @rachelg_423 and email her at rachelguo326@gmail.com.
Originally published at https://yellohmoose.org.
