Yayoi Kusama

My daughter, who is currently down in New Zealand, just told me about a Japanese artist whose exhibit she took in at the City Gallery in Wellington - the major retrospective, Yayoi Kusama: Mirrored Years.

I was so impressed with what I saw while exploring her on Google that I just had to share.

Ascension Of Polka Dots On The Trees
2006

Dot's Obsession
2000

Narcissus Garden
1966

The Moment Of Regeneration
2004

Fireflies On The Water
2000

Her name is Yayoi Kusama and a feature documentary is being made about her life - read about it here. Princess of Polka Dots

Hard to miss the running theme - dots! Kusama’s work is a mix of her own psychology, an obsession with dots and her childhood daydreams (and a few hallucinations). She uses this inspiration to create manipulated and altered environments.

Yayoi Kusama is one of the most important artists of her generation. She has twice represented Japan at the Venice Biennale (1966, 1993) – testament to the enduring relevance of her work. Kusama was born in Japan in 1929 and moved to New York in 1958 where she was a pioneering member of the post-war avant-garde. In New York, Kusama had close associations with Joseph Cornell and Donald Judd as well as Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko and Carolee Schneemann. Incorporating performance into her practice, she was active in the New York art scene until 1973 when she moved back to Japan. She is currently living in a mental institute.

Here is the trailer for the movie Polka Dot Princess.

And here are videos of some of her work - Dot's Obsession.