Yayoi Kusama Quotes

Powerful Yayoi Kusama for Daily Growth

About Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama, born on March 22, 1929, in Matsumoto, Japan, is a renowned contemporary artist known for her profound impact on modern art, particularly in the fields of painting, sculpture, performance, film, fashion, and literature. Raised in a conservative family, Kusama's interest in art was evident from a young age. She began drawing and painting at the age of ten, and by her teens, she had been admitted to the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts. However, her artistic aspirations were stifled due to familial pressure to conform to traditional gender roles. In 1957, Kusama moved to New York, where she quickly became a part of the avant-garde art scene. Her work during this period was influenced by Abstract Expressionism, but her unique style emerged through her exploration of psychedelic imagery, organic forms, and repetitive patterns, which would become her signature style. Kusama's major works include the 'Infinity Nets' series, created in the late 1950s, which symbolize her obsession with infinity and the cosmos. Another significant work is 'The Obliteration of Art,' a large-scale interactive installation where participants are invited to cover a blank canvas or sculpture with colorful dots. In the 1960s, Kusama gained notoriety for her controversial performances, such as 'Narcissus Garden' at the Venice Biennale, where she installed an array of silver polystyrene balls. Despite these successes, Kusama struggled with mental illness and returned to Japan in 1973. Since then, Kusama has continued to create art while living in a mental health facility. Her works have been exhibited worldwide, and she is considered one of the most important living artists today. Her quotes reflect her artistic philosophy: "I want to be a painter who transcends human life. I want my art to continue to grow infinitely."

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I am a high priestess of polka dots."

The quote suggests that Yayoi Kusama considers herself as a spiritual figure, or high priestess, in the realm of her unique art style, which is characterized by an abundant use of polka dots. This statement underscores her deep personal connection to her work and her belief in its significance as a powerful, almost transcendental, artistic expression.


"Obliteration is my way of expressing love and fear at the same time."

Yayoi Kusama's statement, "Obliteration is my way of expressing love and fear at the same time," suggests that her artwork, which often involves covering large surfaces with repetitive patterns, serves as a creative outlet for both intense affection and deep apprehension. By obliterating spaces through her art, she can simultaneously celebrate them (through the abundance of her expression) while also acknowledging an underlying fear or anxiety about their infinite nature. This interpretation emphasizes the emotional complexity found in Kusama's work, which is at once celebratory and introspective.


"The universe is infinite and so is art."

This quote by Yayoi Kusama suggests that just as the universe, which has no boundaries or limitations, is vast and infinite, so too can be the realm of artistic expression. It implies that there are no constraints on creativity or imagination; one's artistic potential is limitless. In other words, art has the power to transcend physical realities and explore the boundless possibilities of human thought and emotion.


"Art should be alive, like nature."

Yayoi Kusama's statement "Art should be alive, like nature" emphasizes the organic, dynamic, and ever-evolving quality that art and nature share. It suggests that just as nature is constantly changing and growing, art too should have a sense of life and vitality. This could mean that artistic expression should not be static or predictable, but rather fluid, adaptable, and responsive to the world around us, much like natural phenomena. Ultimately, Kusama encourages artists to create works that embody the spirit of nature's vibrancy and resilience.


"I want to cover the entire universe with my dots."

Yayoi Kusama's statement, "I want to cover the entire universe with my dots," symbolizes her ambition and artistic vision. It suggests that she aspires to transcend the boundaries of traditional art by immersing viewers in an infinite sea of her signature polka dots, enveloping the world in a universal language of her creation. This statement reflects Kusama's desire to share her unique perspective, blurring the line between art and reality, while simultaneously expressing her unquenchable thirst for self-expression and exploration.


My art originates from hallucinations only I can see. I translate the hallucinations and obsessional images that plague me into sculptures and paintings.

- Yayoi Kusama

Art, Sculptures, Images, Paintings

I have been taking every step toward the future every day through making many paintings and sculptures with my deep emotion hidden in my life.

- Yayoi Kusama

My Life, Through, Sculptures, Paintings

With just one polka dot, nothing can be achieved. In the universe, there is the sun, the moon, the earth, and hundreds of millions of stars. All of us live in the unfathomable mystery and infinitude of the universe. Pursuing 'philosophy of the universe' through art under such circumstances has led me to what I call 'stereotypical repetition.'

- Yayoi Kusama

Through, Pursuing, Led, Dot

If there's a cat, I obliterate it by putting polka dot stickers on it. I obliterate a horse by putting polka dot stickers on it. And I obliterated myself by putting the same polka dot stickers on myself.

- Yayoi Kusama

Myself, Putting, Obliterate, Dot

Georgia O'Keeffe proposed that I live with her. She was in New Mexico then, and I wanted to be in New York.

- Yayoi Kusama

New, New Mexico, Then, Mexico

Suppose I put polka dots all over my body and then cover my background completely with polka dots. The polka dots on my body, merging with those in the background, create an optically strange scene.

- Yayoi Kusama

Dots, Over, Then, Merging

I have been using polka dots since I was a very young child. Only after that, it seems, have they been used throughout the rest of the art world.

- Yayoi Kusama

Rest, Been, Very, Art World

I have a flood of ideas in my mind. I just follow my vision.

- Yayoi Kusama

Vision, Ideas, Mind, Flood

I believe that eyes are very important motifs. That's something that can discern the peace and love.

- Yayoi Kusama

Love, Peace And Love, Very, Discern

The reason I collaborate with Louis Vuitton is that Louis Vuitton is number one in the world, and I am honored to work with them.

- Yayoi Kusama

Work, Reason, Them, Collaborate

I love Damien Hirst. I respect his work a great deal, and I am happy that the polka dots I started using have become a symbol of love and peace around the world with everybody joining hands to use them in this way.

- Yayoi Kusama

Love, Joining, Symbol, Great Deal

I think I will be able to, in the end, rise above the clouds and climb the stairs to Heaven, and I will look down on my beautiful life.

- Yayoi Kusama

Rise Above, Think, I Think, In The End

You should create a work that is so valuable it might eventually sell at a high price, but you've got to concentrate on how you create that artwork.

- Yayoi Kusama

Work, Sell, Might, High Price

People ask about art and commercialism. I think that if someone tries to sell their work at a high price, that is the wrong way of doing it.

- Yayoi Kusama

Art, Think, Tries, High Price

In my home country, there was a little shop with old books, but it was really in the countryside. You couldn't find English books. I found this very avant-garde American art book that had information about Georgia O'Keeffe. I was very much impressed by her.

- Yayoi Kusama

Country, Very, Shop, Avant-Garde

I am putting every effort toward creating my works from morning till night on every single day.

- Yayoi Kusama

Works, Till, Putting, Every Single Day

I, Kusama, am the modern Alice in Wonderland.

- Yayoi Kusama

Modern, Alice, Am, Wonderland

While producing art works, illusions appear from time to time due to my mental illness. Every day is a struggle for me.

- Yayoi Kusama

Art, Every Day, Works, Struggle

I would like to try harder to establish my thought and philosophy strongly and to go back to the universe with my love.

- Yayoi Kusama

Love, Thought, Like, Establish

Basically, my idea and explorations on fashion have not changed; however, I believe I'm going state-of-the-art on fashion.

- Yayoi Kusama

Idea, Going, However, Changed

Certainly, I devote my energy to both telling my personal life story and seeking self- obliteration. However, I will not destroy myself through art.

- Yayoi Kusama

Through, Devote, However, Life Story

Since my childhood, I have always made works with polka dots. Earth, moon, sun and human beings all represent dots; a single particle among billions.

- Yayoi Kusama

Always, Billions, Works, Represent

New York is the place that made my and other artists' dreams come true by giving us a chance to realise our ideas and concepts. It was a great place for making a presentation of artistic creation.

- Yayoi Kusama

New, Other, Making, Creation

Painting bodies with the patterns of Kusama's hallucinations obliterated their individual selves and returned them to the infinite universe.

- Yayoi Kusama

Individual, Infinite, Bodies, Selves

Polka dots are fabulous.

- Yayoi Kusama

Dots, Fabulous

I wanted to start a revolution, using art to build the sort of society I myself envisioned.

- Yayoi Kusama

Art, Society, Using, Envisioned

When I was a child, I used to paint intently. The older I become, and the closer death approaches, the brighter my life gets day by day.

- Yayoi Kusama

Death, My Life, Brighter, Closer

It doesn't matter at all for me that I work in hospital or anywhere with limited space. Every day, I'm creating new works with all my might.

- Yayoi Kusama

New, Limited, Works, Hospital

Polka dots can't stay alone. When we obliterate nature and our bodies with polka dots, we become part of the unity of our environments.

- Yayoi Kusama

Nature, Dots, Environments, Become

Forget yourself. Become one with eternity. Become part of your environment.

- Yayoi Kusama

Forget, Eternity, Part, Become

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