Yayoi Kusama, one of the most celebrated contemporary artists in the world, died at age 97, according to reports from Japan. Born in 1929 in Matsumoto, a city in central Japan, Kusama built a decades-long career defined by an instantly recognizable visual language: repetitive polka dots and net-like patterns that she used to cover canvases, sculptures, entire rooms, and even her own body and clothing.
Often nicknamed the “princess of polka dots,” Kusama said her signature motifs stemmed from hallucinations she experienced since childhood, which she transformed into a singular artistic vision embracing themes of infinity, obsession, and self-erasure. Her immersive “Infinity Mirror Rooms,” which use mirrors and lights to create the illusion of endless space, became some of the most photographed and Instagrammed art installations of the past decade, drawing enormous crowds to museums worldwide.
Kusama’s work spanned painting, sculpture, performance, and large-scale public installations, including her iconic polka-dotted pumpkin sculptures displayed internationally. She represented Japan at the Venice Biennale in 1993 and later collaborated with luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, bringing her aesthetic to a mass audience. For decades, she voluntarily resided at a psychiatric facility in Tokyo while maintaining an active studio practice nearby, continuing to produce new work well into her nineties.
Her death marks the end of an era for postwar Japanese art and for a career that helped redefine how audiences experience contemporary installation art. Readers can find the original report, in Spanish, at jornada.com.mx.
Image: Shook Photos, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).