In the field of Japanese contemporary art, Yayoi Kusama’s name definitely does more than ring a bell—it draws a din of decibels, heard across oceans. Undoubtedly among the most illustrious of Japanese multimedia masters, Kusama’s preeminent style (while heavily influenced by Abstract Expressionism) spans genres, making it difficult to pin down with just your garden variety, predictable descriptors. Despite this elusiveness, her expressionist-surrealist-pop signature is unique, undeniable, and ubiquitous to art aficionados, all over the world. Her work is instantly recognizable — and instantly appreciable. Kusama’s paradigm-pushing polka dots and prodigious pumpkins, along with her mind-bending Infinity Mirror Rooms have become an irresistible global brand; a cross-cultural conversation and artistic revolution that speaks to anyone who’s ever been awed by something seemingly simple yet so infinitely deep.
From Tokyo to Times Square, dots everywhere!
When Kusama first dropped her polka dots on the world, it was more than a mere pattern — it was a declaration of personal and artistic freedom; both as a woman in a male-dominated scene and as a creative genius. Born in Matsumoto, Japan on March 22, 1929, Kusama’s journey wasn’t a straight path to worldwide fame. She left Japan for New York in 1958, bringing her own brand of surrealism that blended her Japanese heritage with the raw, pared-down yet powerful energy of the Western art world. Enter: polka dots. These weren’t just a study in repetition or spots on a canvas (or on a pumpkin, or pairs of shoes, or on whatever caught Kusama’s fancy — they were a deep exploration of infinity, obsession, the cosmos, and shared human experience. Eventually, she became known by the monikers “Princess of Polka Dots” and “High Priestess of Polka Dots.”
In New York, she was immediately immersed in the world of Abstract Expressionism. Artists like Jackson Pollock, with his action paintings, inspired her own use of repetition and large-scale patterns. Her Infinity Nets—huge canvases with tight-knit patterns of dots—showcase this influence, with the dots serving as a form of controlled chaos, an echo of Pollock’s wild energy. She became an integral part of New York’s 1960s avant-garde scene, rubbing elbows with pop artists like Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg, both of whom drew influence from Kusama’s work. This era of Pop Art, with its embrace of consumerism and mass culture, directly impacted Kusama’s approach to art, as well. Her dots and patterns are an abstract yet playful and relatable commentary about the world around us; a critique, if you will, of the very consumerism that Pop Art embraced (think: endless numbers of a particular thing and how it parallels mass consumption, as seen most especially in Kusama’s macaroni art).
Spots and struggle, shifting into something sensational
Doing a deep-dive into dots, they were Kusama’s way of connecting with the infinite, speaking in metaphysical terms. From a more physical standpoint, the exercise in repetition was a concrete way of helping Kusama overcome anxiety and deal with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), both of which she grappled with, from an early age. Kusama has openly spoken about her mental health struggles, and how the dots came from her childhood experiences with hallucinations, where she would see repeating dots and patterns in everything. She flipped the script, however, and internalized them as a way to connect with something beyond herself. Over time, these dots became a way for her to externalize that sense of infinity, pulling the vastness of the universe into something tangible. The dots are far more than just a cool artistic visual trick. They represent a cosmic journey; Kusama’s, and ours. The moment she connected her dots with the infinite — whether through her Infinity Mirror Rooms or her painted installations — something clicked. It was like she was pulling the universe, along with its mystery and magnitude, into a confined space for all to envision and experience, firsthand.
Fast-forward to today, and Kusama’s dots have become the ultimate cross-cultural symbol. They’re neither “east” nor “west,” and they don’t belong to one culture or one identity—they’re everywhere and belong to everyone who encounters Kusama’s art.
A phenomenal pumpkin patch like no other
Equally as iconic and beloved as the dots are Kusama’s plus-sized pumpkins. They might seem quirky, offhand — and they are. But they symbolize deeper things, such as stability in an infinite world. Pumpkins have long been a symbol of harvest, abundance, and prosperity; the bigger the pumpkin, the better. From Kusama’s perspective, they are also a representation of comfort, joy, and self-obliteration. The pumpkins are covered with the same dots, which link them back to Kusama’s obsession with infinity, while also serving as an anchor to the earth, grounding the viewer in the midst of her boundless visions.
Kusama’s pumpkins aren’t just whimsical examples of avante-garde Abstract Expressionism — they’re powerful, multi-layered symbols that reflect her personal journey and deep philosophical beliefs. Growing up in rural Japan, pumpkins were a source of comfort and solace for Kusama, offering a sense of security during a challenging childhood. As she evolved as an artist, these humble gourds transformed into representations of profound concepts; from self-obliteration— where the polka dots symbolize the merging of the individual with the universe — to a joyful celebration of life itself. For Kusama, pumpkins also signify the search for infinity, an endless quest that mirrors her obsession with vast, ungraspable space. In addition, the shapes are powerful symbols of fertility, nurturing life and growth. These forms carry layers of meaning, offering viewers a glimpse into Kusama’s world of infinite joy, mystery, and transformation.
“Pumpkins are loveable, and their wonderfully wild and humorous atmosphere never ceases to capture the hearts of people. I adore pumpkins…As my spiritual home since childhood, and with their infinite spirituality they contribute to the peace of mankind across the world…they make me feel at peace. pumpkins bring about poetic peace in my mind,” Kusama has said, in a poem she wrote about pumpkins.
Kusama’s technique brings these pumpkins to life through a fusion of materials, often casting them in bronze, stainless steel, or mosaic, and cutting apertures to create intricate dot patterns that dance with light and shadow. From her towering Pumpkin (2024) in Kensington Gardens to her earlier works like Aspiring to Pumpkin’s Love, the Love in My Heart, her pumpkin art reaches across mediums, featuring in installations, paintings, and her mesmerizing Infinity Mirror Rooms.
Kusama’s paradigm-pushing polka dots and prodigious pumpkins, along with her mind-bending Infinity Mirror Rooms have become an irresistible global brand.
Touching the infinite and redefining space
Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms (which incorporate her fascination with dots and also, very often, with pumpkins) take her art beyond traditional spaces, offering an immersive experience that redefines our relationship with the physical world. These installations use dots, mirrors, and lights to create the illusion of endless space, making visitors feel as if they’re floating in an infinite cosmos. The Infinity Mirror Rooms have been exhibited in major museums worldwide and have influenced contemporary architectural and design trends, turning Kusama’s vision of the abstract, metaphysical concept infinity into a tangible, shareable experience — mind-blowing and mind-bending, in equal measure.
Architects and designers have borrowed from Kusama’s awe-inspiring ability to manipulate space, creating immersive environments that play with the concept of endless repetition; a testament to her influence that stretches beyond the art world, into the realms of architecture and design — and of fashion. In 2012, Kusama had a high-profile collaboration with Louis Vuitton in 2012 that brought her trademark dots to LV’s totes, scarves, and ready-to-wear collections. In 2023, the artist collaborated once more with the esteemed fashion house, with an LV pumpkin bag having been auctioned off in 2024 for a whopping $151,200 via Christie’s New York.
Kusama’s legacy— in pleasurable, powerful profundity
After a decade and a half of living in New York, Kusama moved back to Japan in 1973. In 1977, she transferred into a psychiatric hospital in Tokyo, where she resides to date. She is 95 years old, as of February 2025, the time of this writing, and continues to create art. Her life has been one of breaking boundaries and defying odds through self-expression — and humanity has been profoundly enriched, for it. As her art connects us to the infinite, it connects us to each other, as well; one dot at a time. In the end (and perhaps from the very beginning), Kusama’s art isn’t just about boundless beauty and provocative passion—it’s about conversation. A dialogue that’s global, endless, and way more than a little bit magical.
