{"id":29309,"date":"2026-08-27T08:41:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T12:41:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/?p=29309"},"modified":"2026-08-27T08:41:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T12:41:05","slug":"yayoi-kusama-creator-of-infinity-rooms-dies-at-97","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/2026\/08\/27\/yayoi-kusama-creator-of-infinity-rooms-dies-at-97\/","title":{"rendered":"Yayoi Kusama, Creator Of ‘Infinity Rooms,’ Dies At 97"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Yayoi Kusama, creator of sensational mirrored, hallucination-like, walk-in installations that she called \u201cInfinity Rooms,” died Aug. 14 in a Tokyo hospital at age 97, the Yayoi Kusama Museum and Yayoi Kusama Foundation announced today<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve written about her multiple times: https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/tag\/yayoi-kusama\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born in 1929, Kusama grew up on her wealthy family\u2019s seed nursery in Matsumoto, Japan. She recalled that, when she was 10, she had the first of the hallucinations that she would experience all her life: she\u2019s described it as the red flower-patterned tablecloth that seemed to spread to everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After moving to the United States in 1957\u2014first Seattle, then New York the following summer–she filled canvases with little circles for her \u201cInfinity Net\u201d paintings, obsessive, minimalist versions of the Abstract Expressionist art. \u201cThis endless repetition caused a kind of dizzy, empty hypnotic feeling,\u201d Kusama said in a 1964 radio interview. She also found them personally calming, healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around 1962 and \u201963, she began sewing and stuffing phalluses. She covered coats with them and shoes and chairs and a rowboat and whole rooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusma, “Infinity Dots,” 1990, acrylic on canvas. (Courtesy Mucciaccia Gallery, New York)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kusama created her first \u201cInfinity Mirror Room\u201d in 1965, with \u201cInfinity Mirror Room (Phalli\u2019s Field).\u201d She filled the floor of the mirrored space with hundreds of red and white polka dot phalluses. \u201cKusama\u2019s Peep Show: Endless Love Show\u201d from 1966 invited visitors to stick their heads in one of two windows into a hexagonal mirrored room aglow with blinking colored lights accompanied by music by The Beatles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At \u201cBody Festivals\u201d and \u201cSelf-Obliteration\u201d performances around New York in 1967 and \u201868, Kusama invited people to strip naked, then she painted them with polka dots. The events became increasingly politically charged\u2014protesting the American war in Vietnam or the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She had an intense, apparently erotic, but platonic with the artist Joseph Cornell, who inspired her to create collages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her 2002 autobiography, she made racist statements, including calling her old New York neighborhood a \u201cslum\u201d where real estate prices were \u201cfalling by $5 a day\u201d because of \u201cBlack people shooting each other out front, and homeless people sleeping there.\u201d She also called Black people \u201cprimitive, hyper-sexualized beings.\u201d She issued an apology in 2023: \u201cI deeply regret using hurtful and offensive language in my book.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1973, Kusama returned to Japan, where she continued to suffer from anxiety attacks, and in 1977, took up residence at the Seiwa Hospital in Tokyo, where she\u2019d been getting periodic treatment for mental illness, while maintaining her own apartment and studio nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past two decades, as Kusama returned to making walk-in \u201cInfinity Mirrored Rooms,” she attracted blockbuster crowds and became an international artworld star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

If this is the kind of coverage of arts, cultures, and nature that you appreciate, please support Wonderland by contributing to Wonderland on Patreon<\/a>. And\u00a0sign up for our free, occasional newsletter<\/a>\u00a0so that you don’t miss any of our reporting. Follow us on Instagram<\/a> and tell us what you really think on Facebook<\/a>. (All content \u00a9 Greg Cook 2026 or the respective creators.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama in “Flower Obsession.” (Photo by Yusuke Miyazaki)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama\u2019s \u201cInfinity Mirrored Room \u2013 Dancing Lights That Flew Up to the Universe,” David Zwirner gallery, New York, Dec. 5, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama\u2019s \u201cInfinity Mirrored Room \u2013 Dancing Lights That Flew Up to the Universe,” David Zwirner gallery, New York, Dec. 5, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama’s family, ca. 1929. (Courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, title unknown, c. 1967-69.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, title unknown, c. 1967-69.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama with “Pumpkin,” 2010. (Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo\/Singapore\/ Shanghai; Victoria Miro, London; David Zwirner, New York)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “Alone, Buried in a Flower Garden,” 2014. Acrylic on canvas. (Collection of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “Summer Flowers,” 1988. Acrylic on canvas. (Collection of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “Pumpkins Screaming About Love Beyond Infinity,” 2017, at The New York Botanical Garden, 2021. Mirrors, acrylic, glass, LEDs, and wood panels. (Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “Infinity Mirrored Room\u2014Illusion Inside the Heart,” 2020, at The New York Botanical Garden, 2021. Mirror-polished stainless steel, glass mirrors, and colored glass. (Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “My Soul Blooms Forever,” 2019, at The New York Botanical Garden, 2021. Urethane paint on stainless steel. (Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner. Photo by Robert Benson Photography.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A
A variety of paintings on canvas by Yayoi Kusama exhibited in “Kusama: Cosmic Nature” at The New York Botanical Garden, 2021. (Photo by Robert Benson Photography)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “Narcissus Garden,” 1966\/2021, at The New York Botanical Garden, 2021. 1,400 stainless steel spheres. (Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner. Photo by Robert Benson Photography.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “Flower Obsession (Sunflowers),” 2000. Video Still. (Collection of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “I Want to Fly to the Universe,” 2020, at The New York Botanical Garden, 2021. Urethane paint on aluminum. (Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees,” 2002\/2021, at The New York Botanical Garden, 2021. Printed polyester fabric, bungees, and aluminum staples installed on existing trees. (Collection of the artist. Photo by Robert Benson Photography.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “Dancing Pumpkin,” 2020, at The New York Botanical Garden, 2021. Urethane paint on bronze. (Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner. Photo by Robert Benson Photography)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “Life,” 2015, at The New York Botanical Garden, 2021. Fiberglass-reinforced plastic, tiles, and resin. (Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner. Photo by Robert Benson Photography.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “I Want to Go to the Universe,” 2013. Acrylic on canvas. (Collection of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “Hymn of Life\u2014Tulips,” 2007, at The New York Botanical Garden, 2021. Mixed media. (Collection of the City of Beverly Hills)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “Dancing Pumpkin,” 2020, at The New York Botanical Garden, 2021. Urethane paint on bronze. (Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner. Photo by Robert Benson Photography)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama\u2019s \u201cMy Eternal Soul\u201d series at David Zwirner gallery, New York, Dec. 5, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusma, “Bird,” 1980, collage, pastel, gouache and ink on paper. (Courtesy Mucciaccia Gallery, New York)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama\u2019s “Hi, Konnichiwa (Hello)! Hanako,” 2004, stryol metal, paint on specific canvas, motor. (Courtesy Mucciaccia Gallery, New York)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusma, “Infinity Dots,” 1990, acrylic on canvas. (Courtesy Mucciaccia Gallery, New York)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusma, untitled, 1953. (Courtesy Mucciaccia Gallery, New York)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusma, untitled, 1953, pastel and gouache on paper. (Courtesy Mucciaccia Gallery, New York)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusma, “The Galaxy,” 1994, acrylic on canvas. (Courtesy Mucciaccia Gallery, New York)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusma, “Mushrooms,” 2005, acrylic on canvas. (Courtesy Mucciaccia Gallery, New York)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusma, “Mantis,” 1981, mixed media and collage on paper. (Courtesy Mucciaccia Gallery, New York)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusma, “Infinity-Nets (QPS),” 2008, acrylic on canvas. (Courtesy Mucciaccia Gallery, New York)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusma, “Fallen Blossoms,” 1990, acrylic on canvas. (Courtesy Mucciaccia Gallery, New York)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama\u2019s “Sleeping Girl,” 1988, plastic, modeling clay, acrylic, glitter and feathers, at Mucciaccia Gallery, New York, Dec. 5, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama\u2019s “Increment in the Spring,” 1986, mixed media, at Mucciaccia Gallery, New York, Dec. 5, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama\u2019s “Hi, Konnichiwa (Hello)! Hanako,” 2004, stryol metal, paint on specific canvas, motor, at Mucciaccia Gallery, New York, Dec. 5, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama\u2019s “Hi, Konnichiwa (Hello)! Taka-Chan” (left), 2005, stryol metal, paint on specific canvas, at Mucciaccia Gallery, New York, Dec. 5, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama\u2019s “Hi, Konnichiwa (Hello)! Taka-Chan,” 2005, stryol metal, paint on specific canvas, at Mucciaccia Gallery, New York, Dec. 5, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama\u2019s “Hi, Konnichiwa (Hello)! Taka-Chan,” 2005, stryol metal, paint on specific canvas, at Mucciaccia Gallery, New York, Dec. 5, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama\u2019s “Hi, Konnichiwa (Hello)! Miiko-Chan” (left), 2004, stryol metal, paint on specific canvas, at Mucciaccia Gallery, New York, Dec. 5, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama\u2019s “Hi, Konnichiwa (Hello)! Miiko-Chan,” 2004, stryol metal, paint on specific canvas, at Mucciaccia Gallery, New York, Dec. 5, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Yayoi Kusama\u2019s exhibit \u201cEvery Day I Pray for Love,” David Zwirner gallery, New York, Dec. 5, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama\u2019s exhibit \u201cEvery Day I Pray for Love,” David Zwirner gallery, New York, Dec. 5, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama\u2019s \u201cInfinity Mirrored Room \u2013 Dancing Lights That Flew Up to the Universe,” David Zwirner gallery, New York, Dec. 5, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama\u2019s \u201cInfinity Mirrored Room \u2013 Dancing Lights That Flew Up to the Universe,” David Zwirner gallery, New York, Dec. 5, 2019. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “A Flower (No. 14),” 1953, ink, gouache and pastel on woven paper.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “Blue Coat,” 1965, stuffed and sewn aqua and black striped cotton, wire hanger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “Blue Coat,” 1965, stuffed and sewn aqua and black striped cotton, wire hanger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama, “Beyond the Sky,” 1988, acrylic on canvas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama’s “Love Is Calling” at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art, Sept. 17, 2019. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama’s “Love Is Calling” at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art, Sept. 17, 2019. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama’s “Love Is Calling” at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art, Sept. 17, 2019. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama’s “Love Is Calling” at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art, Sept. 17, 2019. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama’s “Love Is Calling” at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art, Sept. 17, 2019. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama’s “Love Is Calling” at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art, Sept. 17, 2019. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama pictured with her work “Love Is Calling” during her solo exhibition “I Who Have Arrived In Heaven” at David Zwirner gallery, New York, 2013. (Courtesy ICA Boston)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama’s “Where the Lights in My Heart Go,” an infinity mirror room, 2016, at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Sept. 15, 2018. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama’s “Where the Lights in My Heart Go,” an infinity mirror room, 2016, at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Sept. 15, 2018. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama’s “Where the Lights in My Heart Go,” an infinity mirror room, 2016, at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Sept. 15, 2018. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama’s “Where the Lights in My Heart Go,” an infinity mirror room, 2016, at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Sept. 15, 2018. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Inside
Inside Yayoi Kusama’s “Where the Lights in My Heart Go,” an infinity mirror room, 2016, at Decordova, Sept. 15, 2018. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Looking
Looking out one of the holes in Yayoi Kusama’s “Where the Lights in My Heart Go,” an infinity mirror room, 2016, at Decordova. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The exterior of Yayoi Kusama’s “Where the Lights in My Heart Go,” an infinity mirror room, 2016, at Decordova. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The exterior of Yayoi Kusama’s “Where the Lights in My Heart Go,” an infinity mirror room, 2016, at Decordova. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Inside
Inside Yayoi Kusama’s “Where the Lights in My Heart Go,” an infinity mirror room, 2016, at Decordova. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Inside
Inside Yayoi Kusama’s “Where the Lights in My Heart Go,” an infinity mirror room, 2016, at Decordova. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Inside
Inside Yayoi Kusama’s “Where the Lights in My Heart Go,” an infinity mirror room, 2016, at Decordova. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Inside
Inside Yayoi Kusama’s “Where the Lights in My Heart Go,” an infinity mirror room, 2016, at Decordova. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Inside
Inside Yayoi Kusama’s “Where the Lights in My Heart Go,” an infinity mirror room, 2016, at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Sept. 15, 2018. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The exterior of Yayoi Kusama’s “Where the Lights in My Heart Go,” an infinity mirror room, 2016, at Decordova. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The exterior of Yayoi Kusama’s “Where the Lights in My Heart Go,” an infinity mirror room, 2016, at Decordova. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The exterior of Yayoi Kusama’s “Where the Lights in My Heart Go,” an infinity mirror room, 2016, at Decordova. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Yayoi
Yayoi Kusama \u201cWhere the Lights in My Heart Go,\u201d 2016, mirror polished stainless steel with glass mirror. (Courtesy deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yayoi Kusama, creator of sensational mirrored, hallucination-like, walk-in installations that she called \u201cInfinity Rooms,” died Aug. 14 in a Tokyo hospital at age 97, the Yayoi Kusama Museum and Yayoi Kusama Foundation announced today. I’ve written about her multiple times: https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/tag\/yayoi-kusama\/ Born in 1929, Kusama grew up on her wealthy family\u2019s seed nursery in Matsumoto, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13550,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100],"tags":[939],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29309"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29309"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29313,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29309\/revisions\/29313"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}