Growing up in an oppressive Japanese household, self-described "obsessive artist" Yayoi Kusama suffered from mental and physical abuse as a child. Her obsessive thoughts were often suicidal in nature, but it was the hallucinations she experienced as a little girl- nets, dots, and flowers which covered every surface- that later defined her art and ultimately, saved her life. "If it were not for art, I would have killed myself a long time ago", Kusama has often said. Her ubiquitous and now famous polka dot motifs have covered everything from everyday household items to pumpkins and naked assistants. With the November 2008 sale by Christies New York of one of Kosama's works for $5.1 million (a record for a living female artist) and a blockbuster exhibit at the Gagosian Gallery this year, her presence is felt more than ever, and her influence is clearly evident in a recent stroll through the trend-setting boutiques of Aoyama.
Comme des Garcon - Aoyama
10 Corso Como - Aoyama
Aoyama Photos Courtesy of Blake Kuwahara - Focus Group West
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