For my current project I wanted to expand my monochromatic palette into a more colourful range. That is why, I turned to one of my favourite colourful artists and looked at the catalogue for her past exhibition called Give Me Love, that I found on the WSA Library.

Tatehata, A., 2017. Yayoi Kusama: Give Me Love. David Zwirner Books.

This book contained her distinctive style and her mesmerizing patterns whether it is her polka dots or the repetitive eyes in her paintings. With them, the artist “invites the viewer into her world, sharing her inner thoughts” (Tate, 2012, video called “Yayoi Kusama: Obsesionado con los lunares”) and is known for her environmental installations that submerge the spectator into a totally new reality based on her hallucinations and infinity.

Due to my admiration for her style and self-preserving art I kept researching towards a more biographical direction. Apparently, Kusama had had a traumatic childhood that had affected her mental state. However, her constant energy for creating art soon forged her a bright future. In fact, Kusama decided to open a museum in Tokyo for her fellow locals, something that the New York Times captured in one of its articles.

Motoko Rich. 2017. Yayoi Kusama, Queen of Polka Dots, Opens Museum in Tokyo – The New York Times. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/arts/design/yayoi-kusama-queen-of-polka-dots-museum-tokyo.html. [Accessed 01 November 2017].

Unsurprisingly, behind such peculiar creations, there is a unique individual. The Japanese artist is not only known for the art that she makes, but for making it part of her lifestyle and wardrobe. With bright orange hair and red lips, the 88-year-old artist has collaborated with brands such as Louis Vuitton and incorporated her style into fashion.

Motoko Rich. 2017. Yayoi Kusama, Queen of Polka Dots, Opens Museum in Tokyo – The New York Times. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/arts/design/yayoi-kusama-queen-of-polka-dots-museum-tokyo.html. [Accessed 01 November 2017].

Unknown, (2012), Louis Vuitton- Yayoi Kusama Collection [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/louis-vuitton-unveils-yayoi-kusama-collection [Accessed 1 November 2017].