Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, known for her vivid installations and infinity mirror rooms, has died at 97. She passed away at a hospital in Tokyo on Aug. 14, Yayoi Kusama Inc. reported.
The artist’s company reported her death on Aug. 27. Kusama dedicated her entire life to art, working in different forms, including painting, installations, literature and poetry. The artist continued to paint until shortly before her death.
Kusama is considered one of the world’s most recognizable modern artists. Her works are distinguished by a psychedelic palette, mirrored spaces and distinctive multicolored polka-dot patterns.
Yayoi Kusama’s installation in Almaty
Yayoi Kusama’s «LOVE IS CALLING» (2013) is on display at the Almaty Museum of Arts. The installation has become one of the museum’s most notable works. It is the only display of the artist’s work in Kazakhstan.
The installation is an infinity mirror space filled with glowing, inflatable, polka-dot, tentacle-like forms. A recording of Kusama herself reading her poetry plays inside. Since the museum’s opening, it has been one of the venue’s most popular and most photographed works.
After Kusama’s death, interest in her art and the value of her works may increase significantly. Her installations are likely to attract even more attention from visitors.
The Almaty Museum of Arts is hosting the «Bill Viola: The Space of Time» exhibition from July 1 through Jan. 17, 2027. Starting Sept. 8, the «Musinder: Sculpture of Kazakhstan from the 1950s to the Present» exhibition will be on display.
