Yayoi Kusama Passes Away: "An Icon of Contemporary Art" — Tadanori Yokoo and Others Offer Tributes
Avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama has passed away, and prominent figures including contemporary artist Tadanori Yokoo, Mori Art Museum director Mami Kataoka, and kabuki actor Matsumoto Koshiro have issued memorial statements.Summary
Avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama passed away on the 14th. Tributes poured in from prominent figures across various fields.
Contemporary artist Tadanori Yokoo (90) told the Asahi Shimbun, "She was an iconic, queen-like figure in Japanese contemporary art." He analyzed, "Her early works fit within the historical context of art, but her later works became purer, more innocent, and more free—a unique presence among the often conceptual works of contemporary art." He added, "We needed a different language to talk about Kusama. Her expression was faithful to the impressions that welled up from within, and I believe she was approaching the essence of art. As a person, she was honest and without pretense," mourning her loss.
Mami Kataoka, director of Mori Art Museum in Roppongi, Tokyo, recalled an episode from her curatorial work in the UK, saying, "I remember being struck by how she would react like a young girl, sincerely happy to see a newspaper article written about her." She praised Kusama's contributions: "As an artist representing Japan, she elevated the reputation of Japanese contemporary art. She also had the achievement of bringing contemporary art to the general public through collaborations with fashion brands." She noted, "Kusama sublimated the hallucinations and visions she had experienced since her youth into her polka dot and net works, which I believe was also a way for her to save herself. She was an unparalleled figure who transcended existing frameworks through her happenings, writing, and other activities."
Kabuki actor Matsumoto Koshiro (53), who had asked Kusama to design the celebratory curtain for his 2018 three-generation succession ceremony of the Koraiya lineage, issued a statement saying, "I have lived feeling the happiness of being alive in the same era, overwhelmed by the beauty of her art and her message to the world." He recalled her words: "She said it was a battle—to keep painting the images in her head as long as she lived, and that her works would become eternal. I remember that vividly." He concluded by offering his heartfelt prayers for her repose.
(Source：朝日新聞)