「Art Appreciation Through Visual Reading」Yayoi Kusama: Hallucination as the Gateway to the Universe

Dots, pumpkins, mirror rooms and net-like patterns — these globally recognised symbols stem from a lifetime haunted by hallucinations. “If it were not for art, I would have killed myself.” At the age of 97, Yayoi Kusama brought her long life to a close.

To most people, polka dots may be nothing more than an ordinary pattern, yet within Yayoi Kusama’s universe, they become art. From the age of ten, visual and auditory hallucinations closed in upon her: dots crawled from tablecloths up the walls, and net patterns swallowed rooms and her own body. Instead of fleeing, she picked up her brush, rendering her fear dot by dot to quiet her hallucinations for a while. This was not mere creation; it was self-salvation, a way to stay alive.

Her art resides in repetition: thousands upon thousands of dots and net patterns pile layer upon layer until eyes grow unfocused, evoking the vertigo of falling into infinity. It resides in obliterative coverage: not content with painting only on paper, she blankets pumpkins, rooms and even human bodies with polka dots, erasing the dividing line between art and life. It resides in immersion: her Infinity Mirror Rooms envelop viewers within her hallucinatory realm using mirrors and lights. Rather than standing outside observing a painting, you step directly into her mind. This renders her art accessible to all. No knowledge of art history is required; one is immediately struck by that sense of boundlessness simply standing before her works. Repetition can be infinity, coverage can be freedom, and hallucination can be the gateway to the universe.

She never truly saw this world clearly throughout her life, yet she showed us a world we had never beheld. Now, the auditory and visual hallucinations that pursued her all her days may at last subside. May there be no dots creeping up walls, no net patterns coiling around her in the next life. Goodnight, Yayoi Kusama.

That’s all for today’s art-appreciation session. Next time, we’ll make a new pot of tea and continue exploring the world of art together.

By Mr.Shan