You may recognise Yayoi Kusama from her famous dots – present right on the cover and throughout the book – but do you know what the story is behind them? Kusama. The Graphic Novel, illustrated by Elisa Macellari, presents the artist’s biography, from her childhood in the Japanese countryside in the 1930s to 1993, when Kusama was the curator of the Japanese pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
Kusama ran away from a family which didn’t understand her and, seeking her place as a woman and an Asian in the art world, moved to New York City in 1958. Her art is absolutely unique, largely stemming from the experiences of a difficult childhood and experiences of mental illness. Her provocative and radical works and performances in line with the artistic trends of the 1960s and 1970s went against traditional moral and social norms and never met her family’s approval.
Macellari uses a fairly simple line and few colors, mostly shades of red and blue, thus not distracting from the most important thing: the art of Kusama herself (all her most important works are presented here) and the psychedelic, sometimes overwhelming atmosphere that surrounds them.
Kusama.The Graphic Novel gives us a wonderful insight into the artist’s life – it’s a surprisingly intimate look at Kusama’s story, but also at the creative processes and the world changing over several decades.
