Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese artist widely known as the “queen of polka dots,” has died at the age of 97.
Kusama built a distinctive body of work by transforming persistent hallucinations and repetitive visions into visual forms. Those private experiences found expression in a wide range of media, from densely dotted canvases and sculptural objects to the immersive, room-sized works known as "Infinity Mirror Rooms."
Her practice was marked by obsessive repetition, bold patterning and the use of reflective surfaces to create illusions of endless space. The polka dot motif — applied to paintings, sculptures and interior surfaces — and the mirrored environments of the Infinity Mirror Rooms became closely associated with her artistic identity.
Kusama's work resonated across the contemporary art world as examples of how intimate sensory experiences can be translated into public, immersive works. She leaves behind a body of work that has shaped discussions about the relationship between perception, repetition and space in modern art.