photo: SAIKI Taku
The Days I Lived in an Illusion
| Artist | KUSAMA Yayoi |
|---|---|
| Year | 1975 |
| Material/ Technique | ink, pastel, collage on paper |
| Size/ Duration | H39.5 × W54.5cm |
| Copyright Notice | © Yayoi Kusama |
| Year of acquisition/ donation | 2003（作品購入年月日：2003/03/31） |
| Description | Born in Nagano, Japan in 1929. Lives and works in Tokyo. Kusama Yayoi, whose career stretches back more than 50 years, has had a major impact on the art world both in Japan and overseas. She began exhibiting work in Japan in the early 1950s before moving to the U.S. in 1957. She based herself in New York, creating installations and staging various performances. In 1973 she returned to Japan to live, where she continues to live and work. Starting out from paintings that depicted her own experiences from childhood, she has gone on to produce large two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and installation pieces, her trademark repeating and multiplying polka dots and nets representing her unique outlook on the world. Among the motifs that appear consistently in Kusama’s work are repeating and multiplying polka dots and nets. At some times these motifs are spread over two dimensions on her canvases, while at others they spill off the canvases onto the floor, the walls, the ceiling, and everyday objects such as tables, chairs, and sofas. "Self-Obliteration" is one such work in which commonplace household objects, in this case a table and chairs, are covered in polka dots. In "I’m Here, but Nothing", the installation space is covered with countless dots that turn fluorescent under black light, creating an endless environment in which the viewer themselves almost seems to disappear. Here, all sense of distance and direction is lost as the viewer is seized by the illusion that their very senses have vanished. The title of this work is an allusion to the uncertain nature of our existence in the world, and describes equally the world that Kusama has consistently given expression to throughout her career. |
NOTES
This Collection Data page contains the works and materials in the collection of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, as of April 1, 2018.
Artists are listed alphabetically by artist’s surname.
Works and materials by the same artists are listed according to the date of the work in principle.
Works whose dates are unidentified are listed at the end of each item. Some works are not listed according to the date of work due to their relations.
The data of works and materials are listed in order of title, production year, material/technique/form, dimensions, donor’s name, copyright holder and credit for photograph.
Dimensions are given by height (H) x width (W) in centimeters for plane work, and height (H) x width (W) x depth (D) in cm for 3-D work. Diameter (Ø) is used for circular work.
For the name of country or city, the name currently used in English is listed in principle.