Document Type

Student Research Paper

Date

Spring 2020

Academic Department

Modern Languages

Faculty Advisor(s)

Dr. Mahua Bhattacharya

Abstract

Yayoi Kusama is a world-renowned multidisciplinary artist from Nagano Japan. Her signature mirror rooms have flooded social media websites like Instagram and Twitter. Her strong personal brand and iconic fashion sense has helped solidify her presence as a pop cultural icon throughout the world. She has also played a role in several social movements in America and abroad. Currently, she is arguably the most popular and well-known living female artist in the world. Her captivating work is distinctive due to its trademark forms, hues, silhouettes and patterns. While her work is immediately recognizable, much of its meaning remains enigmatic. For example, in the United States where Japanese is not commonly spoken, language accessibility often limits communicative efficacy especially within fast-faced popular culture. However, there is also the intricate nature of mental illness that makes discussion of Kusama’s artwork even more complex. Regarding evocative artwork, much of an artist’s memories, desires, and fears allow for the manifestation of intimately unique pieces. Kusama’s work encapsulates the often messy, disjointed and oppressed emotions in her life, but she does so in a way that invites others to engage as well. By looking at her work and the cultures that surrounded her life experiences, one can gain a slightly more coherent understanding of the role art plays in both portraying and shaping our beliefs. One can also see how the popular forms of Kusama’s artwork today are the potent culmination of her lived experiences.

Notes

Senior thesis.

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