Yayoi Kusama: New Works
Yayoi Kusama: New Works
Victoria Miro Gallery is delighted to announce an exhibition of new paintings by Japan's most revered contemporary artist, Yayoi Kusama.
The paintings have been selected from a major series commenced during the past three years. Initially conceived by Kusama to comprise a hundred paintings, the series has, with characteristic dynamism, grown far in excess of that number. The result is a magnum opus, a vibrant flowering of an artist whose six-decade career has been a constantly evolving enquiry into the twin themes of cosmic infinity and personal obsession.
The paintings are at once startlingly innovative and classically Kusama. Completed in a single session, each is a flatly painted monochrome field that abounds with imagery including eyes, faces in profile and other more indeterminate forms, often in pulsating combinations of colour. From the psychedelically primordial My Forsaken Love, in which biomorphs traverse a black-fringed molten-pink ground, to the strata-like composition of Standing on the Riverbank of My Hometown I Shed Tears, a canvas filled with sedimentary layers of cell-like dots, eyes and extravagantly decorated lashes, the paintings generate new motifs and arrangements of forms while continuing a lifelong preoccupation with the mysteries of the physical and metaphysical, the tangible and ineffable - the space where seeing and feeling intersect.
These are fluid, highly instinctual, improvisatory works. In Look at the Women Singing Out Love and Finding Myself In The Midst of Creation, repeated profiles create insistent rhythms, while in Love, Birth And Death, And Illness, And What is Happiness? a shoal of eyes, variously narrow and wide as if scrutinising their surroundings, provide a bass beat for a quizzical encounter between semi-abstract forms that seem on the cusp of coalescence.
When looking at these paintings we might think of Paul Klee's famous statement about taking a line for a walk. In Kusama's hands, the irreducibly basic elements of art - the dot, the line - assume poetic urgency, gathering together strands of the sensory, sensual and personal as they traverse the canvas. Distinctions between drawing and painting, figuration and abstraction, internal and external worlds are erased in works that do not obey convention but invent their own pictorial logic. Often, a disconcerting sense of depth and scale is in evidence. Flatness gives way to illusory space, background motifs jump in scale as they move centrestage. As viewers we negotiate a world of multiple viewpoints, where flux and disorientation, expressions of Kusama's personal experience, are part of the encounter.
There is a palpable sense of the artist's hand pushing ever onwards in these works, making discoveries as it goes. Yet, motifs familiar from Kusama's oeuvre remind us of preoccupations that can be traced back to the hallucinations first experienced by the artist in childhood. The cell-like dots that proliferate in The Sun Is Loved By Everybody and A Talk About Boundless Love, And All About Love are instantly recognisable as variations of the multiplying polka dots that feature in Kusama's work from as early as 1939. The optical complexity of these paintings might be thought of as a graphic distillation of the endlessly refracted worlds of Kusama's enveloping mirrored environments first created in the 1960s.
It is fascinating to consider these recent works in tandem with the artist's forthcoming retrospective at Tate Modern, where the genesis of Kusama's visual language is revealed along with her art historical prescience. Covered with undulating loops of paint, the Infinity Net paintings, first produced by the artist in New York in the late 1950s, act as a conduit between abstract expressionism and minimalism. First made in the early-1960s, Kusama's soft sculptures adorned with phallic-like protuberances anticipate the work of Claes Oldenburg, while her use of wallpaper and collages incorporating elements such as airmail stickers would have a profound influence on Andy Warhol. Today, we are as familiar with the highly personal, confessional style of art pioneered by Kusama decades ago as we are used to her command of different media. These new paintings allow us to consider the artist's unique vision as conjured by nothing more than brush, paint and canvas. They are a distillation of the themes that characterise Kusama's art, grounded in the known world but grasping towards the unknown and the unknowable.

Selected Exhibition Images
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Yayoi Kusama, 2011
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Love, Birth and Death, and Illness and What Is Happiness?, 2009
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A Talk About Boundless Love, and All About Love, 2009
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My Forsaken Love, 2010
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Standing on the Riverbank of My Hometown I Shed Tears, 2009
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The Sun Is Loved by Everybody, 2009
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Finding Myself in the Midst of Creation, 2011
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Brilliance of Life, 2011
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Installation View
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Installation View
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Installation View
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Installation View
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Installation View
Related
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Exhibition Posted 18 November 2018
Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta
The major touring exhibition travels to Atlanta (18 November 2018–17 February 2019). The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA -
Picture story Posted 26 October 2018
Anatomy of an Artwork: Yayoi Kusama’s Pumpkin, 2018
'Kusama has said she likes pumpkins for their “human-like” form and humour. Her fixation on repetition and infinity, however, has a darker side: a kind of obliteration, where you lose yourself in the vastness of her singular universe…' The Guardian Skye Sherwin -
Review Posted 4 October 2018
Yayoi Kusama’s new exhibition is featured on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row
Jacky Klein reviews THE MOVING MOMENT WHEN I WENT TO THE UNIVERSE. The programme also features an interview with Heather Lenz, director of Kusama – Infinity. Jacky Klein, Front Row -
Exhibition Posted 4 October 2018
The exhibition – I Want You to Look at My Prospects for the Future: Plants and I – goes on view at the Yayoi Kusama Museum, Tokyo
The exhibition (4 October 2018–28 February 2019) showcases Kusama’s botanical-themed works alongside a selection of self-portraits from across her career. The Yayoi Kusama Museum, Tokyo -
Profile Posted 3 October 2018
Francesca Gavin writes about Yayoi Kusama in the Financial Times
From painted bronze pumpkins to flower sculptures and a fresh take on her Infinity Mirror Rooms, Yayoi Kusama’s new work brings her kaleidoscopic polka-dot-filled fantasy world to life. Francesca Gavin, The Financial Times -
Picture story Posted 2 October 2018
Yayoi Kusama creates a special cover for Harper’s Bazaar Art
The design is available as a limited-edition collectable cover distributed alongside the November issue of Harper’s Bazaar. Harper's Bazaar -
Preview Posted 1 October 2018
The Art Newspaper previews Yayoi Kusama’s new exhibition at Victoria Miro
Gareth Harris gets a first look at THE MOVING MOMENT WHEN I WENT TO THE UNIVERSE, which opens to the public by free timed ticket on 3 October 2018. Gareth Harris, The Art Newspaper -
Preview Posted 1 October 2018
The Evening Standard previews Yayoi Kusama’s new exhibition at Victoria Miro
' …the walls and ceiling of the installation are covered with a reflective surface, giving the lanterns the appearance of continuing on forever for all those who stand in the space.' Ailis Brennan, The Evening Standard -
Exhibition Posted 28 September 2018
Yayoi Kusama’s LOVE IS CALLING goes on view as part of Tampa Museum of Art’s Season of Love
On view until 14 February 2019, Infinity Mirrored Room: LOVE IS CALLING, 2013, invites visitors to enter a mirrored room with tentacle-like soft sculptures hanging from the ceiling and positioned on the floor. Tampa Museum, Florida -
Exhibition Posted 26 September 2018
Yayoi Kusama’s Narcissus Garden is featured in Space Shifters at the Hayward Gallery
This major exhibition (26 September 2018–6 January 2019) brings together sculptures and installations that explore perception and space. Hayward Gallery -
Profile Posted 23 September 2018
Read Tim Adams’ Yayoi Kusama cover feature in The Observer New Review
'This autumn sees more new work on display at the Victoria Miro gallery in London – only two years since its last open-all-hours event. The exhibition coincides with the UK release of a film about the artist’s extraordinary life, Kusama: Infinity.' Tim Adams, The Observer -
Exhibition Posted 24 August 2018
Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room – Hymn of Life goes on permanent display as part of Henie Onstad’s 50th anniversary celebrations
A permanent installation (from 23 August 2018) of Yayoi Kusama's 2015 work Infinity Mirrored Room – Hymn of Life at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Norway. Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Norway -
Exhibition Posted 7 July 2018
Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors at The Cleveland Museum of Art
Focusing on the evolution of her immersive Infinity Mirror Rooms, the most significant North American tour of Kusama’s work in nearly two decades continues at The Cleveland Art Museum (7 July–30 September 2018). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio -
Exhibition Posted 1 July 2018
Rockaway! 2018: Narcissus Garden by Yayoi Kusama
MoMA PS1 presents Yayoi Kusama’s site-specific installation of Narcissus Garden as the third iteration of Rockaway! (1 July–3 September 2018), a free public art festival presented with Rockaway Artists Alliance, Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, National Park Service, and Bloomberg Philanthropies in the Gateway National Recreation Area at Fort Tilden. Gateway National Recreation Area, Fort Tilden, Far Rockaway, New York -
Exhibition Posted 12 May 2018
Yayoi Kusama: Life is the Heart of a Rainbow at Museum MACAN, Jakarta
The first large-scale exhibition (12 May – 9 September 2018) of Yayoi Kusama’s work in Indonesia includes more than 130 works that span almost 70 years. Museum MACAN, Jakarta -
News story Posted 13 March 2018
Yayoi Kusama to create her first permanent UK installation for the Elizabeth line at Liverpool Street
Kusama will create her first permanent UK installation, titled Infinite Accumulation, for the new Crossrail station at Liverpool Street. -
Exhibition Posted 3 March 2018
Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors at the Art Gallery of Ontario
The major exhibition (3 March – 27 May 2018) continues its North American tour. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto -
Exhibition Posted 3 March 2018
Yayoi Kusama: All About My Love at Matsumoto City Museum of Art
Taking place in the artist's hometown of Matsumoto City, this major retrospective (3 March – 22 July 2018) features some 180 works drawn from across Kusama's career. Matsumoto City Museum of Art -
Exhibition Posted 15 December 2017
Yayoi Kusama creates a new, large-scale installation for NGV Triennial
Flower Obsession (15 December 2017–15 April 2018) is a recreation of a domestic space in which visitors are invited to apply red flower motifs to the walls, furniture and objects. Melbourne, Australia -
Feature Posted 15 December 2017
Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Yayoi Kusama included in Artsy’s 20 Most Influential Artists of 2017
'Artsy’s editors offer up our take on the 20 who continue to have a pervasive, undeniable impact on artistic production and culture at large.' Artsy -
Preview Posted 23 November 2017
Wallpaper* visits the Yayoi Kusama Museum in Tokyo
'Designed by architectural firm Kume Sekkei, the concept is simple: five white cubes have been stacked and slightly rotated, creating five compact floors, each measuring less than 131 sq m.' Wallpaper* Danielle Demetriou -
Publications 6 November 2017
Yayoi Kusama (Revised and Expanded Edition)
Yayoi Kusama (Revised and Expanded Edition)Not currently available£ 39.950 in cart -
Exhibition Posted 4 November 2017
Yayoi Kusama: Life is the Heart of a Rainbow at Queensland Art Gallery
The exhibition (4 November 2017 – 11 February 2018) is a focused survey of Kusama's work, taking in key motifs as they have developed since the 1950s. Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia -
Review Posted 3 November 2017
Roberta Smith reviews Yayoi Kusama: Festival of Life in the New York Times
'Ms. Kusama’s current three-ring circus of exhibitions at David Zwirner’s uptown and downtown spaces — which include 76 works on canvas — argue in favor of greatness.' Roberta Smith, The New York Times -
Publications 30 October 2017
Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity
Yayoi Kusama: From Here to InfinityNot currently available£ 14.950 in cart -
Exhibition Posted 21 October 2017
Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors at The Broad, Los Angeles
The exhibition (21 October 2017 – 1 January 2018) will provide visitors with the opportunity to experience six of Kusama’s infinity rooms alongside large-scale installations and key paintings, sculptures and works on paper from the early 1950s to the present. The Broad, Los Angeles -
Preview Posted 18 October 2017
The LA Times previews Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors at The Broad
A sneak peek of the major touring exhibition ahead of its opening at The Broad, Los Angeles. Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times -
Preview Posted 13 October 2017
Artsy previews the new children’s book Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity
'As a whole, it reflects the brilliant colors and serene poetry of the artist’s work, with an eye to developing art lovers of the future.' Casey Lesser, Artsy -
Exhibition Posted 9 October 2017
Yayoi Kusama in Etre Moderne: Le MoMA à Paris at Fondation Louis Vuitton
The exhibition (11 October 2017 – 5 March 2018) showcases some 200 works that trace MoMA's history of collecting. Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris -
Exhibition Posted 1 October 2017
Now open: the Yayoi Kusama Museum, Tokyo
The Yayoi Kusama Museum opens in Tokyo with the exhibition Creation is a Solitary Pursuit, Love is What Brings You Closer to Art. Tokyo, Japan -
Exhibition Posted 1 October 2017
Yayoi Kusama: All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins at Dallas Museum of Art
This installation (on display 1 October 2017 – 29 April 2018) is the first mirror pumpkin room created by Kusama since 1991, and the only Infinity Mirror Room of its kind in a North American collection. Dallas Museum of Art, Texas -
Preview Posted 30 September 2017
The Guardian visits the Yayoi Kusama Museum ahead of its public opening
'It was, perhaps, only a matter of time before Kusama, whose work has appeared at the Tate Modern, the Pompidou in Paris and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, gave her name to a space she can genuinely call her own.' Justin McCurry, The Guardian -
Preview Posted 28 September 2017
The New York Times previews the Yayoi Kusama Museum in Tokyo
'Even the restrooms are covered in polka dots.' Motoko Rich, The New York Times -
News story Posted 26 September 2017
Reuters visits Yayoi Kusama in her studio ahead of the opening of the Yayoi Kusama Museum in Tokyo
'From age five or 10, I’ve been painting, from morning to night. Even now, there isn’t a single day when I‘m not painting.' Elaine Lies, Reuters -
Feature Posted 25 September 2017
Artsy reports on ‘The Long, Collaborative Friendship of Yayoi Kusama and Donald Judd’
Judd's friendship with and support of Kusama is recalled in a new show of Kusama’s paintings at the Judd Foundation’s 101 Spring Street space in New York. Alexxa Gotthardt, Artsy Editorial -
Exhibition Posted 23 September 2017
Yayoi Kusama at Judd Foundation
Curated by Flavin Judd the exhibition (23 September – 2 December 2017) at 101 Spring Street includes recent and new works from the artist’s ongoing Infinity Net series. Judd Foundation, New York -
News story Posted 15 August 2017
The New York Times reports on the announcement of the Yayoi Kusama Museum
"The space will be dedicated to Ms. Kusama’s own work, with two changing exhibitions each year, as well as one floor housing her popular “infinity rooms” and other installations." Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times -
News story Posted 11 August 2017
Artnet reports on the announcement of the Yayoi Kusama Museum
The five-story museum—a white, large-windowed, curved structure—was built by architecture firm Kume Sekkei and completed in 2014. Brian Boucher, Artnet -
Profile Posted 22 July 2017
Asia Times reports on Yayoi Kusama: Life is the Heart of a Rainbow at National Gallery Singapore
"No matter how Kusama’s work evolves, one thing remains constant – the intensity of her focus when she works." Elena Owyong, Asia Times -
Exhibition Posted 10 July 2017
Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors continues its North American tour at Seattle Art Museum
This major exhibition (30 June - 10 September 2017) examines the artist’s seven-decade career and contextualizses the notion of infinite expansion and accumulation in her work, culminating in her immersive Infinity Mirror Rooms. Seattle Art Museum, Washington -
Exhibition Posted 9 June 2017
Yayoi Kusama: Life is the Heart of a Rainbow at National Gallery Singapore
The first major survey of Kusama's work in Southeast Asia includes paintings, sculptures, videos and installations from the 1950s to the present (9 June - 3 September 2017). National Gallery Singapore -
Preview Posted 5 June 2017
Channel News Asia previews Yayoi Kusama: Life is the Heart of a Rainbow at National Gallery Singapore
"With 120 artworks spanning 70 decades of prolific art-making, Yayoi Kusama: Life Is The Heart Of A Rainbow is a solid survey of the artist’s extremely complex life and practice." Mayo Martin, Channel News Asia -
Exhibition Posted 24 May 2017
Making Space: Women Artists and Postwar Abstraction, featuring Yayoi Kusama
The exhibition (until 13 August 2017) shines a spotlight on the stunning achievements of women artists between the end of World War II (1945) and the start of the Feminist movement (around 1968). MoMA, New York -
Exhibition Posted 27 April 2017
ISelf Collection: Self-Portrait as the Billy Goat, featuring Yayoi Kusama, at the Whitechapel Gallery
Self-Portrait as the Billy Goat (until 20 August 2017) brings together physical, psychological and imaginary self-portraits by a selection of leading international artists. Whitechapel Gallery, London -
Exhibition Posted 9 March 2017
Yayoi Kusama included in Love: Contemporary Art Meets Amour at La Permanente, Milan
Relating to the theme of love, the exhibition (17 March - 23 July 2017) features works by Kusama, Andy Warhol, Robert Indiana and others. Milan, Italy -
News story Posted 28 February 2017
ArtNews reports on the genesis of Yayoi Kusama's Guidepost to the New World
Armory Show director Ben Genocchio discusses how Kusama's work for Platform came about. Nate Freeman, ArtNews -
News story Posted 17 February 2017
The Asahi Shimbun reports on Yayoi Kusama: My Eternal Soul at the National Art Center, Tokyo
Kusama’s new and early works go on display in Tokyo. The Asahi Shimbun -
Interview Posted 14 February 2017
Yayoi Kusama talks to WSJ Magazine ahead of her major exhibitions in Japan and America
A rare interview with the legendary artist who, at 87, and with major exhibitions about to open, is busier than ever. Darryl Wee, The Wall Street Journal -
Exhibition Posted 1 February 2017
Yayoi Kusama: My Eternal Soul at The National Art Center, Tokyo
The National Art Center, Tokyo, hosts a major exhibition of Kusama's work (22 February - 22 May 2017). The National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan -
Preview Posted 29 December 2016
Yayoi Kusama exhibitions among Apollo's global highlights of 2017
Yayoi Kusama’s exhibition at the National Art Centre in Tokyo (22 February–22 May), and a separate one at the National Gallery Singapore in June, are ones to look out for. Eugene Tan, Apollo -
News story Posted 19 December 2016
The Hirshhorn heralds the arrival of Yayoi Kusama's Pumpkin
In this time-lapse video, the Hirshhorn's Exhibitions Team and Chief Conservator install Kusama's giant pumpkin sculpture on the museum plaza. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C. -
News Posted 3 November 2016
Yayoi Kusama receives the Order of Culture
Kusama is the first woman to be honoured with the prestigious medal for drawings and sculptures. Tokyo, Japan -
Exhibition Posted 29 September 2016
Yayoi Kusama: Dot Obsessions at Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE
This solo exhibition by Yayoi Kusama at the Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE includes a comprehensive selection of early works from the 1950s, as well as site-specific reproductions and interactive installations. From 1 October 2016 - 9 January 2017. Sharjah Art Foundation, United Arab Emirates -
Exhibition Posted 1 September 2016
Yayoi Kusama: The Place for My Soul at Matsumoto City Museum of Art,
An exhibition (until 10 October 2016) by Kusama in her birthplace, Matsumoto. Matsumoto City Museum of Art, Matsumoto, Japan -
Exhibition Posted 1 September 2016
Yayoi Kusama: Chiostro del Bramante, Rome
Chiostro del Bramante celebrates its 20-year anniversary with a large-scale exhibition (29 September 2016 - 19 Feb 2017) of works that explore the myriad facets and infinite variations of the universally recognised, and yet indefinable, phenomenon of love. Featuring Yayoi Kusama’s immersive mirror room installation All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins, 2016. Chiostro del Bramante, Rome -
Exhibition Posted 11 June 2016
Yayoi Kusama: In Infinity at Moderna Museet Stockholm
A major retrospective (until 11 September 2016) and the first to account for Kusama’s interest in fashion and design. Previously at the Louisiana Museum, Denmark and Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Oslo. Subsequently touring to HAM – Helsinki Art Museum, Finland, from 7 October 2016 Moderna Museet and ArkDes, Stockholm -
Exhibition Posted 1 June 2016
Yayoi Kusama: The Broad Inaugural Installation
Infinity Mirrored Room is featured in the museum's inaugural installation (until October 2017). The Broad, Los Angeles -
Exhibition Posted 28 May 2016
Yayoi Kusama in From the Collection: 1960-1969 at MoMA, New York
The Museum of Modern Art has reinstalled its fourth-floor collection galleries with works exclusively from the 1960s (26 March 2016 - 12 March 2017). Museum of Modern Art, New York -
Gallery Exhibition 25 May - 30 July 2016
Yayoi Kusama: Sculptures, Paintings & Mirror Rooms
Spanning the gallery’s three locations and waterside garden, this major exhibition features new paintings – including her important, ongoing My Eternal Soul series and signature Infinity Nets – iconic pumpkin... Victoria Miro Gallery I -
Gallery Exhibition 25 May - 30 July 2016
Yayoi Kusama: My Eternal Soul paintings
Spanning the gallery’s three locations and waterside garden, this major exhibition features new paintings – including her important, ongoing My Eternal Soul series and signature Infinity Nets – iconic pumpkin... Victoria Miro Mayfair