It is this relentless embrace of experience, the total surrender to both joy and suffering, that defines the work of Yayoi Kusama, an artist who has carved out a uniquely emotional and visual universe.

Welcome to LOVR Atelier. In this bi-monthly series, we take the time to slow down – appreciate the beauty that surrounds us. The artists and creators we profile have blazed a trail for themselves – rendered themselves as titans whose legacies will endure long after we’re all gone.

This instalment of our series brings us to the mind of an artist whose timeless work speaks a language without words across time and place: Yayoi Kusama.

Born in Matsumoto, Japan, in 1929, Kusama’s early life was defined by fractured relationships within her family and the isolation she felt growing up. Plagued by visions of dots and patterns from a young age, Kusama saw the world through an entirely different lens, one in which the boundaries between herself and the universe blurred and bled. She would go on to use these visions as the foundation for her life’s work.

The iconic repetitive polka-dot patterns have become Kusama’s signature. However, it is in her endless mirrors that viewers find themselves truly captivated. Kusama’s infinity rooms are physical manifestations of her belief that infinity is not an abstract concept but a space we can inhabit. These rooms, in which time is suspended, force viewers to confront the vastness of the universe and the fragility of their human experience.

Kusama’s work transcends large-scale installations. Her sculptures, paintings, and performance pieces also manifest the thoughts and visions that have haunted her throughout her life. Her famous pumpkin sculptures, for instance, are a juxtaposition of eeriness and whimsy; they seem to have sprouted from her psyche’s deepest recesses, offering a tender contrast between youthful innocence and sombre melancholy.

There is, at all times, a seemingly unending conflict between obsession and liberation. It is this tension that resonates so deeply with audiences worldwide. Through her work, Kusama has not only shaped the trajectory of contemporary art, but has become an emblem of resilience, a testament to the power of art as a method for personal and collective transformation.

Kusama’s work continues to captivate international audiences. Her pieces are exhibited at the most revered art institutions in the world, including the Tate Modern in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Her influence endures; her vision of infinity, both liberating and suffocating, is a sobering reminder of the infinite possibilities that exist within the human soul.