Yayoi Kusama: Life and Work: Iconic Works and Notable Collaborations
Discover the iconic works and notable collaborations of Yayoi Kusama, including Narcissus Garden, her presence at Inhotim, and her influential partnerships with Louis Vuitton.
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Narcissus Garden is a work created for the Biennale of Venice in 1966 and has since been installed in other countries under the same title. Shared near the Italian pavilion, the Narcissus Garden is an iconic project of creativity.
Surprisingly, it took her over 4 years to work on it under almost asphyxiating conditions.
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In Brazil, it was realized at the Instituto Inhotim (Brumadinho, Minas Gerais) in 2009.
It was built from 500 stainless steel spheres that float on the mirror-like water surface, creating shapes that move with the wind and/or other external factors.
Inspired by the myth of Narcissus, who falls in love with his own image reflected in the water's surface, the work constructs hundreds of mirrors that distort, fragment, and, above all, multiply the image of those who contemplate it.
In July 16, 2023, the Yayoi Kusama Gallery was inaugurated at the Inhotim, housing two of her works: I'm Here, But Nothing (2000) and Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity (2009), both part of the Inhotim Collection, acquired in 2008 and 2009, respectively.
The landscape of the Yayoi Kusama Gallery features a winding path made of stones that gradually reveals the gallery to the public, sparking curiosity in those who arrive.
The landscape project was carried out by Juliano Borin, the Inhotim's Botanical Curator, Geraldo Farias, from the Inhotim's Botanical Garden team, with contributions from Bernardo Paz.
The designed garden is inspired by a colorful tropical garden, with a touch of psychedelia, where over 4,000 bromeliads were planted, presenting the already consolidated landscape language of the museum and botanical garden, but also referencing Kusama's connection to her Japanese origin and the pattern of dots that repeat in her work.
Among her various contributions and collaborations, we highlight the two partnerships she made with the French luxury brand Louis Vuitton.
First in 2006, in which Yayoi repainted the Vuitton Ellipse, one of the brand's bag models, with the patterns of dots painted over the logo that repeats on LV's prints.
The brand, now led by Nicolas Ghesquière, decided to repeat the success with a new collection in 2023, this time bringing a special technique developed by the artisans themselves, in which the dots seem to have been painted recently and have a 'wet' appearance.
In addition to fashion, Yayoi also 'dressed' Madame Clicquot.
This is because, in 2012, the painter was invited to a collab destined for a charity auction in Tokyo and Kusama gave new life to a portrait of Madame Clicquot with her famous dot method.
Veuve Clicquot asked her to revisit the bottle and its box of her recently launched vintage, La Grande Dame 2012. The floral creation is also reprised in an original creation translated as 'My heart that blooms in the darkness of the night' for the La Grande Dame magnum format.
This limited edition creation was made available in only 100 numbered pieces!
"My art is the expression of my life, especially my mental illness originating from hallucinations that I can see and feel.
My works are translated by the hallucinations and obsessive images that torment me in the form of sculptures and paintings.
All my works are products of obsessive neurosis and, therefore, intrinsically linked to my illness.
I create pieces, even when I don't see hallucinations" (Yayoi Kusama)
To understand the rest of this journey, continue to our next article: Yayoi Kusama: Life and Work: The Universe of Pumpkins and Artistic Diversity.
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