Yayoi Kusama Shares Final Interview On Art, Life, And“Self-Obliteration”

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Celebrated artist Yayoi Kusama, who passed away last month, reflected on her artistic philosophy, creative process, and global impact in one of her final unpublished interviews. The conversation, conducted in September 2025 by representatives of the Fondation Beyeler, Museum Ludwig, and Stedelijk Museum, sheds light on her enduring vision.

Kusama, globally recognized for her captivating“Infinity Mirror Rooms,” first created Infinity Mirror Room-Phalli's Field in 1965. While these installations gained widespread fame only in the 2010s, coinciding with the rise of Instagram, they have since become iconic, drawing long lines of visitors. A 2017 survey of her“Infinity Rooms” organized by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., further amplified her renown, touring through cities including Seattle, Los Angeles, Toronto, Cleveland, and Atlanta.

Despite the popularity of these immersive works, curators Doryun Chong and Mika Yoshitake sought to broaden understanding of Kusama's extensive career with the 2022 exhibition“Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to Now” at M+ in Hong Kong. This retrospective traced her trajectory from her early“Infinity Net” paintings, inspired by her 1957 flight from Japan to the US, to her transgressive 1960s Downtown New York happenings, and subsequent fashion collaborations. The exhibition also highlighted her radical concept of“self-obliteration.”

As M+ assistant curator Kary Woo explained, this philosophy posits that humans enter an infinite universe by“blending in with sublime nature, to observe everything, and to realise how the self is finite, at one, and interconnected with other things. In so doing, rebirth in love and equality is possible.”

The recent interview coincided with Kusama's latest traveling museum survey, which premiered at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, Switzerland ( October 2025–January 2026 ), then moved to the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Germany ( March–August 2026 ), and is currently on view at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Her gallery, David Zwirner, will present her final works in a solo show in New York next spring.

When asked about her creative flow, Kusama stated,“I live for my art. That's really all there is to it. I make no distinction between daily life and my work.” She described her artistic production as a“quest for truth,” aiming to instill“dignity, vitality, and humanity” in her pieces, and finding joy in completing a“good piece.” She explained that her works serve as“proof of life,” reflecting a philosophy she embraced from the age of ten.

Kusama expressed her desire for people to understand her pursuit of“love and peace” through her art, noting that her movement,“Kusama-ism,” has been globally adored for decades. For young people navigating a complex world, she advised,“One needs to forge a creativity-driven, highly humanistic philosophy in relation to love and peace, maintaining reverence for all life, facing global crises head-on, and sharing wonderful messages with the world to help others overcome prejudice and confusion.”

Reflecting on her artistic journey, Kusama recalled drawing at age five and developing a strong desire to become a painter by age ten. Her exploration spanned painting, sculpture, film, and literature, transformations that occurred“organically.” Addressing her early career in a male-dominated art world, she stated,“I don't think in terms of male versus female, but I struggled mightily in those days, painting day and night for all I was worth.” She added that she continues to seek“something new, urgently reaching for unexplored heights in the realm of art.”

Imagining her younger self seeing her current work, Kusama believed her younger self“would be delighted to know that I went on to gain a genuine lust for life, having discovered its true beauty.” She hoped her“passionate paean to humanity” would encourage and inspire audiences worldwide, as she sings“the praises of human life and its eternal brilliance.”

We previously reported:

David Zwirner gallery announced an exhibition of Yayoi Kusama's final works, opening next April in New York, after her passing at 97.

A new report details Yayoi Kusama's final decade, marked by reclusiveness and high auction prices, raising questions about her artistic decisions.

Feminist leader Gloria Steinem, who championed the modern women's movement and profoundly influenced the art world, has died at 92.

Source: ARTnews

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