Yayoi Kusama – Why Her Art is More Relevant Now Than Ever Before

Hello and welcome to Japan Media  Tour, I’m your host Stephen T.M.,   and today we’re going to be talking about  the eccentric Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama  -Kusama was born in 1929  in Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan  -I was actually in Matsumoto recently, home not  only to Kusama, but also to Matsumoto Castle,  

One of the 12 original castles  still standing in Japan today  -It’s a nice city – I definitely  recommend it if you haven’t been there  -It’s also worth visiting the Matsumoto Museum  of Art, which is home to many of Kusama’s works,   including a large flower sculpture  that guards the museum’s entrance  

Like something out of Super Mario Brothers -Anyway, Yayoi Kusama is a groundbreaking   artist who’s been a trendsetter for decades -Our continued search for a comprehensive   understanding of Japanese art  and culture has to go through   her in order to arrive at the present day -Kusama was born into a wealthy family,  

And they wanted her to follow the usual path  of marrying a rich man and being an obedient   housewife, never causing any trouble -Her parents didn’t want her to work,   and they especially didn’t want her to do  something as unconventional as becoming an artist 

-Her parents actually planned an arranged marriage  for her, which never ended up materializing  -Now, her family may have had money, but the  year young Yayoi was born also happened to   be the year the stock markets crashed, causing  significant social unrest in Japan and worldwide 

-As you can imagine, early Showa Era Japan was  a tumultuous time to grow up, and Kusama was   still a child when World War 2 broke out -Even so, all able hands were needed for   the war effort, and Yayoi sewed military  parachutes from the time she was 12 years old 

-She said that a lot of her childhood was  spent indoors in the darkness of the factory,   with the sound of air raid sirens going  off all hours of the night and day  -As if that wasn’t traumatic enough, the young  Kusama also had a mother who forbade her from  

Making art, the one thing that provided some  respite from the dark reality of the world   around her, and the mental illness she suffered  from in the form of hallucinations and anxiety  -And Kusama still lives with  these afflictions to this day 

-She reports episodes of severe dissociation  in which she feels like her body is fading   into the world around her – like she  is becoming one with her environment  -She has visual hallucinations of flashing  lights and dots, which you can see reflected  

In much of her art – polka dots being  a recurring theme throughout her career  -The first such incident occurred when  she was just 10 years old, and a young   Kusama found that art was her only escape -Maybe escape is the wrong word actually – it’s  

More like art allowed her to channel her  condition into something she enjoyed – she   wasn’t escaping from the hallucinations, she was  leaning into them and eventually allowing others   to see the world within her mind -It was very therapeutic for her,   and continues to be to this day -Her mother added to her trauma  

By forcing Yayoi to spy on her father, leading  to the young girl catching her dad having sex   with his mistress on multiple occasions -After this she became both obsessed and   fearful of sex for some time – leading  to another major theme in her work 

-These types of dissonances or dichotomies often  come up in the origin stories of great artists  -Confused feelings about a certain topic that  they need to work out by creating something  -Kind of like the dichotomies we discussed  in our episode on Comme des Garcons,  

Or Gyaruson as it’s often called in Japan -We’ll discuss Comme des Garcons a bit more   later on in this episode, as there is a  connection to Kusama, but let’s continue   with the early life of Kusama for now -Yayoi Kusama studied traditional Japanese  

Painting at the Kyoto City University of Arts -This type of painting is called Nihonga,   and the term Nihonga became popular in the Meiji  era as a response to the influx of Western style   painting, also known as Yōga, that became  popular after Japan’s borders were opened up 

-Before that, it wasn’t really necessary to use  the term as almost all of the art Japanese people   were exposed to was done in a Japanese style -Those terms are pretty literal, by the way  -Nihonga means Japanese art,  and Yōga means Western art 

-You’ll see this yō in lots of words  referring to Western things, such as yōshoku,   which refers to Western-style cuisine -It’s interesting that Kusama started   by studying such a strictly Japanese style  of painting, as she would later fall in love  

With European and American art – and would  end up being embraced in the West before   she was accepted in her home country -Her interests were straying from those   around her in a society that was  becoming increasingly nationalist,  

Something that had been building for decades -And so she had to escape from her family and from   a strict, patriarchal Showa Era Japanese society -In the same way that she wanted to escape from   the confines of her family and  society, she also felt she had to  

Break free from the traditions of Japanese art -Kusama said of Japan that it was “too small,   too servile, too feudalistic,  and too scornful of women”  -Hence she left for the US of A in 1957 -She went to Seattle first, and stayed  

Briefly before relocating to New York City -Kind of like Ichiro Suzuki, although   he stayed in Seattle for like 11 years -The story of Kusama’s introduction to   the American art scene is pretty cool actually -She was a huge fan of the American painter  

Georgia O’Keeffe, who was famous for  painting flowers and other yonic symbols,   in contrast to Kusama’s work which  consisted of more phallic imagery  -Kusama sent some letters and drawings to  O’Keeffe, and O’Keefe not only answered,   but also introduced Kusama to some  major players in the art world 

-At one point when Kusama was struggling to  make money, O’Keefe actually convinced her   art dealer Edith Herbert to purchase  some of Kusama’s work to help her out  -By the way, in 1956 Kusama burned over 2,000  of her artworks in a fire before leaving Japan 

-She wanted to make a fresh start in the US -Though she left with little money, she   quickly made a name for herself in New York City -Her first New York show was Infinity Nets in 1959  -Infinity Net is also the  name of her autobiography 

-The show consisted of giant paintings  on canvas of thousands of tiny little   semicircles making up the ‘mesh’ of the nets -This first show was immediately successful,   and people began to compare her  to other great artists of that era  -One of the biggest American artists  of that time was Jackson Pollack 

-Pollack was dribbling paint on huge  canvases and making long wild strokes  -His work was erratic, whereas Kusama’s was  quiet and obsessive, meticulous and controlled  -Hers was serene and meditative, like the  Japanese countryside – so even though she   may have rejected some aspects of Japan at  that time, she also brought some with her 

-Pollack’s work was more masculine, and  more representative of Big City life  -Kusama’s Infinity Nets were created  with calm and controlled brush strokes,   repeated over and over until the hand movements  became automatic and she became entranced,   part of the painting – removed from her body  just as she was during her hallucinations 

-Painting the same thing over and over in an  obsessive, repetitive manner can sort of put   the artist under a spell, and this too can  put viewers under that same spell if they’re   willing to give themselves to the art -To be captured in Kusama’s Infinity Net 

-Both Pollack and Kusama created  huge works, as did a lot of other   artists at that time, such as Mark Rothko -Rothko’s style by the way often also had that   sense of calm we see in Kusama’s work – though  it can get pretty dark and depressing at times 

-I won’t comment further on Rothko, other than  to say that the emotionality and orientation   of his paintings feel like mirrors that we can  look at in order to better understand ourselves  -On the other hand, the large scale of  Kusama’s work adds to the theme of the  

Insignificance of us as human beings –  fading into the piece and out of reality  -Being caught in this large net –  helpless, carried away by an unseen force  -The Infinity Nets are really quite minimalist,  and Kusama is seen as a sort of pioneer of the  

Mid century minimalism movement -Minimalism is of course still   huge in Japan to this day -Even when you think of brands   like Muji and Uniqlo with their simple designs -Kusama’s works in this era are actually some   of my favourites, and are quite understated  compared to what she would create later on 

-Over time she took bigger and bigger  risks – exploring her own creativity   and trying to make a name for herself. -See, Kusama was one of those artists who   really wanted to be famous -She even said on several  

Occasions that she wanted to be a star -I feel like a lot of artists say this   kind of stuff now, but it was somewhat less  common back then – not sure if this is a   good thing or not – just an observation -Kusama tried to build a sort of persona,  

A sort of exaggeration of herself, similar  to what someone like Salvador Dali had done  -I think creating this sort of extreme version  of oneself can serve as a defence mechanism  -You take control over your own narrative so  that no one else has the power to define you 

-She may have felt that she had to do this as  an outsider – a Japanese woman in a New York   art scene dominated by white men -And so her unique personality   became part of her brand -She was somewhat of a shameless self-promoter,  

But she had to be in order to stand out and to  have her voice heard – in fact, there are a lot   of great artists out there that never get noticed  because they don’t put themselves out there  

Enough, and so people never discover their work -A lot of people in the 50s and 60s wanted to   silence the voices of women in the art world,  but she just kept speaking up louder and louder  -And this was also expressed through an  exploration of bolder, more striking art 

-She switched back and forth between painting,  sculpture, installations, and even performance art  -She would often go to landmarks around  New York, such as the Brooklyn Bridge,   and paint the nude bodies of friends and models -She organized and attended anti-war protests   during the Vietnam war -She apparently even  

Offered to sleep with President Richard  Nixon if he would put an end to the war  -It’s no surprise that Kusama’s performance art  brought shame upon her and her family in Japan  -If these types of antics brought on negative  press in America during the hippie movement,  

You can imagine how people thought of Kusama  in conservative Japanese society at that time  -Apparently her high school even removed  her name from their list of alumni  -Now, as far as I know this has not been verified,  but the rumour is out there, and whether it’s  

True or not, it does a good job of illustrating  how people thought of her in Japan at the time  -I love Kusama’s Infinity Nets,  but my favourite works of hers are   probably the soft sculptures she was making  throughout the 1960s, starting around 1962 

-These were made of canvas, stuffed  with cotton, sewn into phallic shapes  -She incorporated these soft sculptures into a  variety of different pieces, and often organized   them like some kind of bizarre coral reef -They were really shocking at the time,   especially since a woman was the one making them -In fact, they’re still quite  

Uncomfortable to look at -You can almost feel their texture just by   looking at them – especially when she put them on  objects like chairs or clothes or even a rowboat  -This is when Kusama first got famous for  her installation work, which is still a  

Huge part of her repertoire to this day -These soft sculptures had a huge influence   on Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons  when she created the Body Meets Dress,   Dress Meets Body collection in 1997 -As I mentioned in our episode on Comme  

Des Garcons, Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body  was one of the most famous runway collections   of the 20th century, and at the time of its  release one of the most mocked and despised  -However, it’s now considered to be a classic,  ahead of its time – but I suppose not as much  

Ahead of its time as it would seem, seeing  as Yayoi Kusama made something similar over   30 years before the Comme des Garcons collection -The goose-down pads on Rei Kawakubo’s clothing   make the models look deformed, and make  it seem as though the body of the model  

Is merging with the dress itself -Sound familiar? It’s a lot like   Kusama’s idea that she and her art were  becoming one – merging into one another  -Both Kusama’s sculptures, and Kawakubo’s  1997 collection can also be seen as a   comment on illness and deformity, disease,  and the imperfection of the human organism 

-They’re uncomfortable to look at, yet  they’re fascinating at the same time  -There are lots of connections  between Yayoi Kusama and Rei Kawakubo  -Polka dots are common threads between both  Comme des Garcons and the work of Kusama  -Also, Kusama often wears a red wig, and in  Comme des Garcon’s Autumn Winter 2012 collection  

One of the looks features a model with a red wig  wearing a polka dot dress – Very Kusama-inspired  -And it’s not like Rei Kawakubo has kept her love  of Kusama a secret or something – the designer has   acknowledged her adoration of the artist, and  the two even held a joint exhibition in 2009 

-Neither Rei Kawakubo nor Yayoi Kusama shy away  from capitalism either – they’re not afraid to   be labelled as sell-outs or anything like that -Which might be kind of surprising due to the fact   that they’ve had such an impact on underground  antifashion movements and things like that 

-It’s clear Kusama has had a meaningful  impact on antifashion with designers   like Margiela exhibiting themes  similar to those explored by Kusama  -Paint splatters and things like that -However, Kusama has also collaborated   with Louis Vuitton on a series  of polka-dotted bags and clothing  -Not so much antifashion as it  was pure unadulterated consumerism 

-Probably not the most revolutionary  work she’s been involved with,   but it certainly sold well -By the way, Kusama actually   started a clothing line of her own in  1968 – Kusama Fashion Company Limited  -It featured lots of sexual themes with  holes cut out in strategic locations 

-I’ll leave that to your imagination though -Back to the soft sculptures for a minute now  -They didn’t just inspire  fashion, but also other artists  -Right after she exhibited her  soft sculptures, the Swedish-born,   New York-based artist Claes Oldenburg came  out with some suspiciously similar works 

-And the really sad thing is, he actually  garnered far more international acclaim for   his than she had – now, I’m not sure if he ripped  her off, but the timing was awfully convenient  -This wasn’t the only example of male  artists allegedly stealing her ideas either 

-She publicly called out Andy  Warhol for plagiarising her work  -Kusama made wallpaper with pictures of her  soft sculpture rowboat piece repeated on it   many times in 1962, and Warhol started using  this same printing technique about 4 years later  -The two of them had actually been good  friends, so this really hurt Kusama 

-She became paranoid, covering all  her windows and making artworks in   secret so that nobody could steal her ideas -She painted obsessively, sometimes staying up all   night painting the same shapes over and over again -This probably led her into more severe   hallucinations due to the lack of sleep  and obsessive-compulsive activities 

-Painting processes like this start with  a focused mind and a controlled hand,   until the thoughts slowly drift away and the  brush strokes become automatic – a loss of   control on the part of the artist – I’ve actually  experimented with this technique a lot in my own  

Art and it really is amazing how your mind  just goes blank – it’s a very zen experience  -And it may sound strange, and it’s certainly  unhealthy, but a lack of sleep probably   helps to get into this dreamlike state -By the way, just think of how famous  

Warhol got from his prints – did Kusama start  all that? It seems likely, but we can never be   sure what a person might have planned -OK let’s give one more example of   artists biting Kusama’s style -In 1965 – She made her first   Infinity Room, Phalli’s field -It consisted of hundreds of  

Soft sculptures in a room of mirrors -7 months after Kusama’s Infinity Room,   artist Lucas Samaras created something  suspiciously similar, with his garnering   significant positive reviews, while hers  failed to spark half as much conversation  -She fell into a depression, this time  going as far as to attempt suicide,  

As she would multiple times in her life -Most people these days would probably   say that Kusama’s mirrored room was far  more interesting than Samaras though,   just as her work was more interesting than  both Oldenburg’s and Warhol’s at that time 

-Let me know what you think about that  though – all of them were influential artists  -More on Kusama’s infinity rooms though -She encourages visitors to enter the   rooms and experience the art first hand -When you enter one of her infinity rooms  

You can feel yourself being obliterated, as  she would say, that is, losing your sense of   self and becoming part of the art, just  as Kusama is when she creates her works  -She often talks about this  idea of “obliteration”,   that her art overwhelms and consumes her -It becomes bigger and more impactful than  

Her human form and she fades into it -This is perhaps where passion meets   obsession on the blurred line that separates  madness from sanity – I wonder if we’ve all   been there at one time or another – maybe  some lean into it while others try to escape 

-It’s like a more profound  recognition of being “in the zone”  -So in Kusama’s infinity rooms you look around and  see many iterations of your human form reflected   all around you – you’ve become like one of the  dots in Kusama’s works – insignificant, swimming  

In a sea of likeness, surrounded on all sides -Everything is very orderly – how does one stand   out against a backdrop when everything  else in the scene looks just like you?  -How can we stand out in a strict society in  which everyone is wearing the same clothing,  

Taking the same trains, and clocking in  and out of the same boring jobs every day?  -Speaking of standing out, let’s look at the  way Kusama has styled herself over the years  -She often wore kimonos around the streets of  New York City, which certainly made her stand out 

-It was also kind of provocative in post-war USA -Think about the fact that she was a Japanese   person in America 10-15 years after  the end of WW2 when the two nations   had done battle in the Pacific Theatre -You can be sure that not many others  

Were wearing traditional Japanese garments  in the streets of New York at that time  -Looking and acting in what was seen as an exotic  manner probably worked as a sort of marketing   tool for her – she was ‘out there’, and that’s  what art enthusiasts were hungry for at the time 

-Another way Kusama styles herself  is by becoming one with her art  -There are photos of her standing in front of  her pieces wearing clothing adorned with motifs   that match her pieces, and you almost lose  sight of where the art ends and she begins 

-As you can imagine this often  involves a lot of polka dots  -So in the 60s Kusama had a loyal following,   but she wasn’t universally  accepted the way she is today  -In 1966 she showed up uninvited to the  Venice Biennale with an installation  

Called the Narcissus Garden, in which she wore a  golden kimono and stood beside a sign that read,   “Your Narcissism For Sale”, while she sold  silver orbs to people for 2 dollars apiece  -She was eventually kicked out, and it  wasn’t until 1993 that she was invited back 

-In 1993 she presented an orange room  with black polka dots and mirrors,   among other pieces, and she wore an orange and  black witch’s outfit to match her installation  -Narcissism is another recurring theme in her work -From Narcissus Garden in 1966 to her   recent infinity mirrors which  serve as selfie magnets today 

-There are lots of different  ways to view these works:   are they accusatory? Or are they self-reflective? -I think we can all come to terms with the fact   that we live in a world plagued by narcissism,  and it’s good to be reminded of that fact 

-Her more recent Infinity Mirrors exhibitions  encourage visitors to take photos and videos   and to share them on social media, making  Kusama’s work extend into the digital world  -Her work really does stretch out to infinity  – taking over her thoughts and dreams,  

Then our reality, and then once again leaving the  physical plane and entering a world of 1s and 0s  -Perhaps the ultimate example  of Kusama’s obliteration  -Though the mirror is often used as a symbol  of vanity and narcissism, Kusama didn’t  

Always use them to comment on those concepts -In fact, in the early 2000s she used mirrors   to convey the complete opposite  through dimly lit infinity rooms  -These are also peak self-obliteration -When you step into one of these rooms,   you step out of your body, and  become part of your environment 

-You feel the presence of what’s around you  more than you can actually see it clearly  -By the way, sorry for jumping  around the timeline so much,   but Kusama revisits so many of the same themes,  and I’d rather follow the themes than the calendar 

-That being said, let me just throw out a couple  more interesting points from Kusama’s American era  -In 1968 she officiated what she called  the world’s first homosexual wedding  -She has also collaborated with the likes  of Fleetwood Mac, and made music videos   such as Lovetown by Peter Gabriel -All the telltale signs of Kusama  

Can be found in the video – polka dots,  soft sculptures, and even infinity rooms  -In 1973, Kusama decided to move back to Japan -She was famous in the Western world at   this point, but not all that  well-known in her home country 

-The only times she was really talked about  in Japan were when she was bringing shame on   the nation with her over-the-top performance art -The 70s were a low point for Kusama in terms of   her success in the art world, and perhaps  in terms of her mental health as well 

-In 1977 she checked herself into the Seiwa  Hospital for the Mentally Ill in Tokyo,   and she actually still lives there to this  day, heavily medicated, but still working  -She goes back and forth between the  hospital and her studio, which is closeby 

-Since moving back to Japan, she’s created  more colourful artworks – very bright,   saturated acrylic paint on canvas -She had a revival in the late 80s,   which has continued up to the present day -In 1989 the Centre for International   Contemporary Arts in New York held  a retrospective of Kusama’s work,  

Which brought her back into the public eye -Since then she’s become more famous than ever,   aided like so many artists  by the advent of social media  -Her work just so happened to be the  perfect fit for the age of social media 

-There are actually time limits on her infinity  rooms partly due to the fact that people would   otherwise spend so long taking selfies in them -Kusama’s more recent paintings are almost like   micrographs where you can see little  amoeba and nematodes swimming around 

-It may look like an entirely new  style for her, but as far back as   the 50s she was exploring similar styles,  though with a more muted colour palette  -All right so in case it wasn’t obvious  already, Yayoi Kusama is incredibly prolific,   covering so many themes and styles  throughout her long and illustrious career 

-Her work is connected to  several different art movements,   from Minimalism to Pop Art to Surrealism,  and not restricted to any one in particular  -Some of you may have noticed that  although I discussed a bunch of her   key styles that there’s one in particular  that I haven’t included: the pumpkins 

-Well I’m saving that for today’s  recommendation, which I’ll get to shortly  -I’m sure you’d all heard of Yayoi Kusama  before, but I hope I was able to teach you   something about the top selling female artist  of all time that you didn’t already know 

-She’s a pretty polarizing figure in the  art world, but there’s a reason why she is   the most successful living artist today -There are a bunch of reasons actually  -So even if you don’t love her work in  particular, I think we can all agree that  

She helped push art forward, and likely  inspired some of our favourite artists  -She was also ahead of her time in that  she talked openly about her mental health   long before that became normalized –  if it even is normalized at this point 

-It’s also pretty incredible that at age 94  her work is more relevant than ever – it’s   almost like she knew which way humanity was headed -The scope of her influence is just so vast – I   guess that’s what you get when you work  obsessively for the better part of 80 years 

-I guess that’s the lesson in this episode: find  something you love, and just work damn hard on   it as much as you can, every single day – and  then one day if you’re lucky, you might be 94,   looking back on your life and thinking that you  created something that really mattered, either to  

You, your family, your friends, or to the world -And if you’re really lucky, maybe you won’t be   looking back at all – you’ll be looking forward,  and still creating something as relevant as ever,   that the next generation can build upon,  connecting the dots you leave behind and  

Reorganzing the ideas stored in the collective  human consciousness into new iterations that   will continue to stretch out to infinity -That’s about it for today though folks,   now stay tuned for the bonus  topic and today’s recommendation -All right, thanks for sticking around,  for today’s bonus topic I wanted to  

Discuss something bittersweet: the fact that  there are 12 original castles left in Japan  -On the one hand, it’s amazing that these relics  of a bygone era are still around for us to enjoy  -On the other, it’s a shame that so many  others were destroyed, either by fire,  

Natural disasters, or at the hands of man -In fact, many of the castles were demolished in   the Meiji Era when the government was attempting  to modernize the country, and saw no use for them  -Kind of reminds me of my own hometown of  Toronto – we don’t have many old buildings  

As the government likes to knock down  anything historic and put up glass condos  -So when we say original castles we just  mean castles that were built before the   Meiji Restoration and have survived  without being completely reconstructed  -So as I mentioned at the beginning of the  episode, Yayoi Kusama’s home of Matsumoto,  

Nagano Prefecture is also home  to Matsumoto Castle, one of the   original castles still standing in Japan today -The other original castles are: Inuyama, Himeji,   Hikone, Kōchi, Matsuyama, Uwajima, Matsue,  Maruoka, Marugame, Bitchū, and Hirosaki  -I’ll just go into a couple of these in detail and  you can search up the others if you’re interested 

-One of the most famous of the  surviving castles is Himeji Castle  -This glorious white castle sits on a hilltop in  Himeji City, Hyōgo Prefecture, not far from Kōbe  -The original fort was built in the  spot where the castle now sits in 1333,   but the castle underwent several  renovations throughout the Edo Period 

-Himeji is the largest and most visited castle  in Japan, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site  -It’s a pretty classic tourist spot that  a lot of you probably already knew about  -So we’ve done the largest castle, now let’s swing  the pendulum the other way a bit and talk about a  

Significantly smaller one, Inuyama Castle -Inuyama is located just north of Nagoya,   on the Kiso River, which serves as the  border between Aichi and Gifu prefectures  -It’s the oldest of the 12 castles,  and though it’s quite small,   it’s a wonderful piece of architecture,  and the view from the top is phenomenal 

-It’s not that busy either, at least it wasn’t  when I was there one summer’s day, so you can   take your time and enjoy a bit of history -It’s close to Gifu too, which is a pretty   slept-on Prefecture – there are so many cool  things to see and do there – I’d definitely  

Recommend going to Gifu if you have the time -So that’s all I’ll say about the castles of   Japan for today, now stay tuned  for this week’s recommendation -So for today’s recommendation I want  to send you out into the world to see   some authentic Yayoi Kusama artwork -I didn’t mention Kusama’s pumpkins  

Earlier as I was saving them for this rec -She started drawing pumpkins as a child,   and these became a recurring subject  throughout the course of her career  -She says that pumpkins remind her of humans,  and her pumpkin pieces are like self portraits 

-The iconic 2.5 metre-wide Pumpkin made of  fibreglass and plastic that sits on a pier   on Naoshima Island was installed in 1994 – and  yeah, that’s where I’m sending you, Naoshima  -If this pumpkin is in fact a self portrait,  then it is kind of like a way for her to be  

Outside in a beautiful location while she is  simultaneously living in a mental hospital  -This is one of the better examples of  someone’s art being an extension of themselves  -It’s also a nice reminder to artists to put  their art in interesting places – because then  

Each time you think about your work you  can imagine yourself being in that place  -I actually painted a mural in Tokyo a few  years ago that I often think back on fondly,   and I can still feel the energy  of the city in my imagination 

-By the way, some of you might remember  that the famous Naoshima Island Pumpkin   was actually destroyed by a typhoon in 2021, but  luckily it was reinstalled the following year  -There’s probably a nice metaphor to add  here, but I’ll let you think of that one 

-Naoshima Island is located  just south of Okayama, in the   inland sea between Honshu and Shikoku Islands -And just in case a big beautiful pumpkin isn’t   enough to get you to Naoshima, the entire island  is kind of an art enthusiasts playground, with  

Multiple museums and plenty of artworks to see -You can take a ferry to the island and enjoy a   nice little day trip, or you can stay overnight at  one of many cool accommodations found on Naoshima  -Either way, if you like art,  architecture, and relaxing in  

The sunshine then Naoshima Island is for you -All right that’s all I’ve got for you today  -I hope you enjoyed listening to me talk  about Yayoi Kusama, and I know I left out   a bunch of details, but honestly her career  has just been too long to cover in one episode 

-Maybe I’ll do a follow-up on this  titan of the art world in the future  -As for next week, I was originally  planning on discussing City Pop music,   but due to the recent passing of the  legendary manga artist Akira Toriyama,   I’ve decided to delay City Pop and  instead pay respect to the creator  

Of such classics as Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball -So I hope you’ll join me next time as I do   my best to honour the career of an artist  and writer who helped spark my interest for   Japanese media when I as a young boy -That’s it for this week though,  

This is Stephen T.M., signing off, and  I’ll see you next week for Akira Toriyama

In episode 12 we discuss the life of the prominent Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. She has been a trendsetter for almost a century, and is one of the most important and impactful artists of the modern era. We also talk about castles, mental health, and Andy Warhol.

Chapters:
0:00 Yayoi Kusama
29:44 12 Castles of Japan
33:08 Naoshima Island

Naoshima Island:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/19UnsfU7EzQ2J4du8

Matsumoto Castle:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ydhLgo2zb2vrTaKKA

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