Yayoi Kusama is having, what you might call, a moment. Then again, it seems as though the older she gets the more energy she has. Now at 88, she as easily Japan’s most recognizable contemporary artist. She currently has a major show that’s touring the U.S. and next month she’s opening her own museum in Tokyo. Now the artist has teamed up with curator at MoMA and a NY-based illustrator to tell her story to children.
The project was put into motion roughly 1 year ago by MoMA curator Sarah Suzuki, who teamed up with NY-based illustrator Ellen Weinstein to create “Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity.” Only coincidentally was Kusama’s similarly-titled U.S. exhibition announced shortly after.
In 26 short but beautiful pages, the book follows the life of Kusama, from her early visions of the world covered in polka dots to escaping the rigidity of Japan and moving to New York. Aimed at children ages 5-8, the book excludes Kusama’s more provocative performances and her mental illness but it does follow her back to Japan where she voluntarily checks herself into a mental institution where she goes on to create much of her later work.
Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity! is currently available for preorder and will be released on October 10, 2017.
