Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama died at the age of 97 in Tokyo on August 14. Known for her colourful polka-dot sculptures and installations, her avant-garde visual narrative has captivated the world for decades. Born in Matsumoto, Nagano, in 1929, Kusama draws heavily on the hallucinations she experienced as a child. After moving to the United States in 1957 and later settling in New York, she defined her practice through immersive projects and novel collaborations with museums and fashion houses alike.

In celebration of Kusama’s legendary career, we take a look at her most definitive works and the values that shaped them.

Kusama x Louis Vuitton

Yayoi Kusama and Louis Vuitton’s collaborations are marked by vibrant installations, store concepts, eye-catching facades and more. The two first collaborated in 2012 for a garment and accessories collection for Louis Vuitton’s Selfridges department store. Each piece featured Kusama’s obsessional polka dots, debuting to global acclaim. The collaboration also featured a polka-dotted concept store with hanging lamps and display tables, all adorned with the repetitive pattern.

The duo reunited again in 2023 for another capsule collection, featuring an array of garments and accessories with the distinct Kusama polka dots. The collaboration saw Louis Vuitton stores across the globe transform into Kusama’s canvas, adorned with polka dot facades and installations. 

Kusama x New York Botanical Garden

In 2021, Kusama collaborated with the New York Botanical Garden for a park-wide exhibition, covering trees in polka dots and pouring over 1000 mirror balls into the pond. Other key installations and artworks from the exhibition include the Dancing Pumpkin, a star-shaped aluminium structure titled I want to fly to the universe, and Life on the Display.

Her artworks gave her great catharsis, acting as a medium to express emotions and ideas that she otherwise could not articulate. “I fight pain, anxiety, and fear every day," she once wrote, “and the only method I have found that relieves my illness is to keep creating art.”

She strongly believed that art should be capable of liberating the soul, provoking imagination and pushing people forward. 

Rest in creativity, Kusama