Yayoi Kusama is one of my primary inspirations as an artist. She describes herself as an “Obsessional artist” and creates in many different forms such as writing, installation, painting, and performance art. As a child, she began to experience hallucinations involving fields of dots, a motif which is common in her art. Most of her painting and graphic work feature sequences of dots obsessively repeated through a work. Her work co-
Yayoi Kusama pictured in front of one of her paintings
mmonly excludes borders and emphasizes ‘infinity’ by the use of mirrors. Through her art, Kusama explores the physical and psychological boundaries of art. She also explores sexual themes through the form of her pieces and depictions of live nudity. Kusama stands as an inspiration to me because of her struggle with mental illness. She voluntarily resided in a mental facility in Japan, after destroying most of her work and returning from America. Her work draws heavy influence from her lifelong struggle with mental health. During her residency in the mental hospital, she wrote surrealist poetry that reflected her fluctuating state.
I was fortunate enough to experience her installation art at the Houston Museum of Fine Art (Kusama: End of the Universe) No other
A friend and I at Kusama’s exhibit in Houston
installation has quite impacted me as Kusama’s. It was immersive, emotional, magical, and otherworldly and I truly felt like physical boundaries did not exist. Kusama remains inspirational to me for her ability to embrace her mental illness, rather than hide it. Through art, she explores the concepts which fill her mind and exposes them to the world. Her vulnerability is something that I admire and attempt to emulate. She is also an inspiration to someone like me who dreams of pursuing installation art.
To explore more of Yayoi Kusama’s work, visit her website: Yayoi Kusama Official Site