Mindfulness art of Yayoi Kusama

Abstract

Every now and then, in published materials on the art and creativity of Yayoi Kusama, the question about the possible ties of her art to the art of other artists, philosophical or religious systems rears its head. An unambiguous resolution of this issue is becoming all that more difficult as the artist herself most frequently focuses on emphasising the “self-birth” of her own actions, which she most often sees as set outside any type of context. Despite this – and I will attempt to draw attention to this based on concrete examples in this article – we can find some verified clues in her creativity which may, at least in part, indicate some cultural references. In this article, I would like to present a non-dogmatic presence of elements appropriate, primarily to Buddhism. For Kusama they, in a unique manner, intertwine with her private life, experience, imagination as well as even her western trans- avant-garde experience. What is interesting, the power manifested in her art also perhaps finds its description in the works of Anaximander, a philosopher of ancient Greece. I will attempt to reflect on Kusama’s artistic creative issues such as self-obliteration, polka dots, infinity, and enlightenment-satori in the context of the previously mentioned systems.