A World of Dots

I am sure that it will come as little surprise to many that I am a fan of the artist Yayoi Kusama. Her joyful and inspiring works actually stem from a severely traumatic childhood, overcoming a physically abusive mother. She actually still deals her with mental illness and hallucinations, which from a young age inspired her artwork.

Kusama is known primarily for her obsessive and complusive works, covering vast areas in small dots of bright colours, which she lovely calls her 'infinity nets'. She gained prominence when she travelled to America in the 1960s, following her correspondence with Georgia O'Keeffe. She quickly gained an audience in the Minimalist movement, along with a number of other foreign female artists, such as Eva Hesse. Working alongside a number of Feminists, she was also a voice in a number of political issues. Her rallies and protests gained notoriety for taking place in prominent venues and causing quite the scene. Indeed she famously organised nude protests against the Vietnam War. Since the mid-1970s Kusama has actually voluntarily lived in a mental institute, working from her studio nearby.

What I have always been attracted to are her vibrant colours, and although her pieces are obssesive in nature, they are never overwhelming or too strong on the senses. Many may also recognise her from Loïc Prigents's documentary, 'Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton', where Jacobs expressed her admiration for her work. Indeed the documentary also went on to show Marc working on bags inspired by Kusama's colours and patterns. Kusama has actually even worked on a number of fashion collaborations herself over the years, which inevitably kept her joyous aesthetic.

Currently playing: The Message - Grandmaster Flash

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