Yayoi Kusama - dots from hallucinations turned into Art

I just discovered Yayoi Kusama a Japanese 80 years-old artist that was forgotten by the western artistic world. "Fireflies on the Water", 2002, was the first of her works I saw and I'm still dazzled and searching for more of her art. She spent her youth at New York where she got in touch with Andy Warhol and other artists such as Claes Oldenburg, Georgia O’Keeffe and Jasper Johns and was recognized by her peers After experiencing hallucinations with flowers, dots and webs as a child, she suffered physical abuse from her mother, she was diagnosed obessesive compulsive disorder. The only reason this information is of value for me is that she said that they influenced her work:

"One day I was looking at the red flower patterns of the tablecloth on a table, and when I looked up I saw the same pattern covering the ceiling, the windows and the walls, and finally all over the room, my body and the universe. I felt as if I had begun to self-obliterate, to revolve in the infinity of endless time and the absoluteness of space, and be reduced to nothingness. As I realized it was actually happening and not just in my imagination, I was frightened. I knew I had to run away lest I should be deprived of my life by the spell of the red flowers. I ran desperately up the stairs. The steps below me began to fall apart and I fell down the stairs straining my ankle."

I will learn more about her. For the moment I want to wander how must have been experiencing this work and not just seeing the picture. I think I have joined a club. James Carless at The Splash Fantastic was also fascinated by her work and wrote a post here. Right photo by Peter Murphy. You can see the whole panorama here.