This year has been a tumultuous one with the string of tropical storms devastating our islands and the passing of some of our most beloved artists. We also remember Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, a visionary whose life was shaped by both personal hardship and extraordinary creativity. Through her art, she found a way to express experiences that were difficult to put into words, creating a distinctive visual language that continues to resonate with people around the world.
Kusama was born in Matsumoto, Nagano to a family that owned a plant nursery. At a very young age she loved drawing pictures. It was a way to escape her turbulent childhood, riddled by an abusive mother and discovering her father’s affairs outside of marriage. She sought sanctuary in creating art. The subject matter was often pumpkins, no doubt influenced by the family business as they owned a seed farm. The use of pumpkins as a theme followed her throughout her lengthy career of 70 years.
If you have been to the Ewa wing of Ala Moana Shopping Center, you may have noticed a stoutly Pumpkin sculpture sitting in a pond near Bloomingdale’s. The bronze structure is covered in loads of dots of various sizes. Standing at 6 feet high, Kusama’s sculpture weighs over 1,200 pounds. The Pumpkin (M) 2014 was dedicated to Ala Moana and the people of Hawaiʻi in 2016, and is her fist permanent installation in Hawaiʻi.
An original Kusama screen print, called Waves I,1998 can be viewed at our Honolulu Museum of Art. The artwork is a gift from art collector, Fredrica Cassiday. There are hundreds of black dots in various sizes over an orange background. The screen print conjures a snake-like motif that appears to slither right off the canvas and onto the gallery floor.
Also in 2016 Kusama showed her sculpture exhibition, Footprints of Life, 2016 at Ward Village here in Honolulu. The installation was composed 15 hot-pink, polka-dotted forms. Some viewers said the forms resembled islands in the sea, others said they look like snails or slugs. The vividly-colored organic shapes brought a certain sense of whimsy to the otherwise serious atmosphere.
You may have picked up on the frequent use of polka-dots in Kusama’s art, and there is a deeply rooted origin for that. There is a reason why Kusama was fondly nicknamed, the “Queen of Polka-Dots.” From the age of 10 she experienced hallucinations filled with countless dots and flashing lights. She discovered a sense of calm by a concept she named “Self-Obliteration,” where she uses the dots in her artwork to dissolve her ego and feel connected to the infinite universe.
The Honolulu Biennial art exhibit in 2017 brought yet another installation art piece of Yayoi Kusama. It was called I’m Here, but Nothing. For this piece, Kusama staged a bedroom setting with common local Hawaii objects. The room was filled with all kinds of Hawaii references, a Hawaiian quilted bedspread, aloha attire hung on a clothing rack, and even a surfboard! Kusama covered the entire space with colorful neon stickers that glowed in the black-lit room. Kusama sought to recreate the hallucinatory experiences she had as a young child and wanted to interact with the local viewer by creating an experience that was familiar with local decor.
Yayoi Kusama shared how she dealt with her trauma and was still able to inspire people all over the globe. May she be forever remembered as a symbol of Peace and Resilience.
Next time you find yourself at Ala Moana, take a gander at Kusama’s Pumpkin. Let us remember Yayoi Kusama, the great “Queen of Polka-Dots.”
Kusama’s imprint on Hawaiʻi is not simply that she left us several memorable works of art. She brought a global artistic vision into familiar public spaces, helped expand Honolulu’s contemporary art experience and left residents with works they can continue to encounter long after her passing.
Ainoa Miyashiro is a local stylist and performing artist based in Honolulu. Loves to indulge in stories about inspiration, nostalgia, and connections. A middle child and therefore full-time mediator.
