Avant-Garde Artist Yayoi Kusama Dies Aged 97

Yayoi Kusama, a renowned Japanese avant-garde artist, has died at the age of 97. According to The Mainichi, she passed away on August 14 due to multiple organ failure at a Tokyo hospital. Kusama was known for her distinctive and instantly recognizable artistic style, which included polka dots, Infinity Nets, and immersive mirror-based installations.

Born in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, Kusama began experiencing hallucinations at a young age, which she later depicted in her works. She studied painting at an art school in Kyoto and later moved to the United States in 1957, eventually settling in New York. There, she released large paintings and soft sculptures and held body painting festivals and fashion shows, some of which were in protest against the Vietnam War and other social issues. She returned to Japan in 1973.

Kusama's works often appeared playful, but according to DW English, behind them lay the story of a woman who faced major social and mental health challenges. She was unusually open about her mental health at a time when such topics were heavily stigmatized, once telling US arts publication Bomb Magazine that "My artwork is an expression of my life, particularly of my mental disease." Her popular Infinity Mirror Rooms, an immersive installation series, attracted global popularity on Instagram in recent years.

Brief written by urgent.news from Japan Forward, Artnet News, DW English (Top Stories), The Mainichi, The New York Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.