Pumpkin

Yayoi Kusama believes the universe evolved from polka dots and that these are the source of all creativity. Many references to pumpkins, a major food source in Japan following WWII, are found throughout her childhood recollections. By combining these two elements, the Pumpkin Series has become the most fascinating and most representative of Yayoi Kusama's work. An influential international crossover artist who works with a variety of mediums, Kusama's views on creative inspiration, self-identity, childhood memories, as well as perceptions of her own artistic career have all become a narrative for the Pumpkin Series.
The careful arrangement of polka dot pattern against a net background document Kusama's visual memory of her childhood, when she was troubled with hallucinations. The present lot, Pumpkin, was painted with cheerful, vibrant red and white colours. By complementing it with a pattern of fantasy, the slightly metamorphosed pumpkin image was infused with a dynamic energy that stimulates the entire composition. Through the addition of her other iconic work, the Infinity Net Series, as background for the pumpkin theme, the artist has created a surreal composition that is very much her own. To Yayoi Kusama, the delineation of these patterns is not only a process of self-healing, but a means of inviting the viewer to glimpse into her visual fantasies and inner world.