Yayoi Kusama: The Obsession with Dots of an Ultra-Visual Avant-Garde Artist

If you’ve seen documentaries about Yayoi Kusama, you’ll likely resonate with this series. In the film, while answering interview questions, she used a black marker pen to draw the massive “Love Forever” series. Since Kusama usually keeps the originals for herself, the displayed works are all silkscreen reproductions.

▲ Repetitive Vision, Phallus Boat (Repetitive-Vision, Phallus-Boat, 2000). From her teenage years, Yayoi Kusama had a fear of sexuality. By repeatedly creating the phallic shapes she feared, she found a way to heal her psychological barriers. Kusama referred to these series of works based on compulsion as “Obsessional Art.”

▲ Infinite Nets and Dots (INFINITY NETS & DOTS, 2006–2013)

This is the very “Infinity Nets” series that truly brought Yayoi Kusama to fame. Created in the late 1950s, the classic white “Infinity Nets” were followed by many variations in different colors. These works feature single-hued nets that seem endless, forming a stark contrast with the background color. The infinite obsession patterns highlight Kusama’s skill and perseverance in her brushwork — visitors often mistake them for printed patterns. Kusama’s Infinity Nets and Dots series are highly sought-after by collectors in the auction market, consistently ranking as top names in recent Japanese art auctions, with transaction prices reaching tens of millions of Taiwanese dollars. Yayoi Kusama’s art stands the test of time. Over the past fifty-plus years, her creations born from hallucinations and her signature dot style have successfully transcended ethnic differences and geographical cultural boundaries.

▲ “I Pray Forever for the Beloved Tulips” (With All My Love for the Tulips, I Pray Forever, 2013)
Yayoi Kusama wrote in her autobiography: “When I cover my entire body with dots and then fill the background with the same pattern, I can erase my own existence. That is what I call ‘obliteration.’” For the Asian tour, Kusama specially created this installation piece. Flowers are one of her favorite themes to create, which is largely related to her childhood — when her mother opposed her painting and threw away her art supplies, she would often draw flowers and plants outdoors.

Yayoi Kusama wrote in her autobiography: “When I cover my entire body with dots and then fill the background with the same pattern, I can erase my own existence. That is what I call ‘obliteration.’” For the Asian tour, Kusama specially created this installation piece. Flowers are one of her favorite themes to create, which is largely related to her childhood — when her mother opposed her painting and threw away her art supplies, she would often draw flowers and plants outdoors.

▲ My Eternal Soul Series (MY ETERNAL SOUL, 2009–2013)

"My Eternal Soul" Series (MY ETERNAL SOUL, 2009–2013)
This is Yayoi Kusama’s latest series of paintings, reusing motifs from her “Love Forever” series such as dots, nets, eyes, side profiles, flowers, dogs, and women. The colors are vivid, mixing figurative and abstract elements without any conflict.

▲ Pumpkin (2013–2014)
Yayoi Kusama’s most well-known public installation artwork — the healing three-dimensional pumpkins are extremely charming. Kusama also found redemption through painting pumpkins. At Sotheby’s Hong Kong “Boundless: Contemporary Art” auction preview, the “Pumpkin” piece, made from colored reinforced fiberglass, was estimated at HK$3.2–3.6 million, but sold for over the expected value, fetching HK$3.86 million (including commission).

▲ Dot Sticker House

The famous Japanese TV host Takeshi Kitano once played a dot-sticker game with Yayoi Kusama on a show, where Kusama placed stickers on his body and they danced together. The exhibit features an all-white domestic space set up with white sofas, white dining tables and chairs, etc. Visitors receive a dot sticker, and we too can become avant-garde artists — sticking them randomly can still create the illusion of the beautiful dots from the master’s imagination. This interactive experience is really fun. These various-sized round stickers, regardless of size or color, are thoughtfully designed. Whether reflecting the avant-garde artist’s aesthetic or intuition, the assembled hues create a very Kusama-like touch: dots that continuously grow and spread across walls and ceilings, forming a web.

Taichung Exhibition Details:
◆ Exhibition Dates: June 6, 2015 – August 30, 2015
◆ Opening Hours: Tuesday to Friday 9:00–17:00, Saturday & Sunday 09:00–18:00, closed on Mondays (last entry at 16:30 on weekdays, 17:30 on weekends)
◆ Venue: National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Exhibition Room 101
◆ Official Website:http://www.mediasphere.com.tw
◆ Ticket price: 180~220 RMB

▲ Yayoi Kusama Taipei Concept Store
The charm that has spread up from the south can also be felt in Taipei—this dreamlike, surreal, and magical art. The concept store inside Huashan 1914 Creative Park sells Yayoi Kusama merchandise, as well as desserts, snacks, and drinks designed with the iconic polka dot style. The café also displays side photography from the exhibition venue.

▲ Food and tableware both feature classic masterpieces on display!

▲ Polka dot-style mango pancakes

▲ Yayoi Kusama cake lollipops

Kaohsiung exhibition video footage:

Author of “Tian Man Painting Box”:
Yu Tian’s Fan Page
Yu Tian’s Blog