YAYOI KUSAMA

For nearly 70 years, Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama has produced innovative, groundbreaking artwork across a broad range of media, from painting to film to immersive installation. Born in rural Japan in 1929, Kusama eventually traveled to the United States in 1957, gaining a reputation as a controversial figure in the New York avant-garde movement. In America, she progressed from paintings to radical performance art “happenings” and unique interactive installations, returning to Japan in 1973. Kusama’s work features iconic recurring motifs, such as colorful polka-dots and mirrors, that evoke themes of psychology, emotion, obsession, feminism, sex, life and death, and introspection.

TRANSCENDENCE

This site showcases a curated selection of Kusama’s immense, ever-expanding body of work, shedding light on both her pioneering work that transcended notions of modern art as well as her admirable perseverance in overcoming challenges and barriers in her career.

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Infinity Rooms

Pumpkins

Paintings

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

Browse current, upcoming, and past exhibitions.

New York Botanical Garden Outdoor Exhibit

Kusama: Cosmic Nature

New York Botanical Garden | Bronx, NY
Apr 10, 2021 – Oct 31, 2021

Kusama reveals her deep fascination with nature, including her childhood spent in the fields of her family’s seed nursery. Her work's themes of obliteration, infinity, and eternity are inspired by her intimate involvement with the colors, patterns, and life cycles of plants and flowers.

Yayoi Kusama: Narcissus Garden

Rubell Museum | Miami, FL
Nov 18, 2020 - Dec 12, 2021

Located in the Rubell museum's central area, this Narcissus Garden infinity room contains 700 reflective stainless steel spheres. Each viewer plays the role of Narcissus in this surreal, immersive landscape installation.

Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms

Tate Modern | London, UK
May 18, 2021 – Jun 12, 2022

The Tate Modern Museum presents an exclusive opportunity to experience two of Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms. Step into Kusama's world in these immersive installations. "Filled with the Brilliance of Life" is one of her largest works.