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Yayoi Kusama — Self Obliteration
Yayoi Kusama

Self Obliteration

A polka-dotted mannequin stands as a testament to Yayoi Kusama's lifelong obsession with repetition and self-dissolution, its surface consumed by the same hypnotic pattern that has defined her iconic visual language. The relentless dots spread across the synthetic form, blurring the boundary between figure and the infinite, enacting the psychological concept of "self-obliteration" that Kusama has long used as both a therapeutic practice and artistic philosophy. By clothing an artificial human form in her signature motif, Kusama challenges the notion of individual identity, suggesting that the self is ultimately absorbed and erased by the overwhelming forces of pattern and repetition.

Medium
acrylic on polyester mannequin

🔨 Auction Lot

20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale

February 10, 2016

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About this work

Yayoi Kusama, Self Obliteration

A polka-dotted mannequin stands as a testament to Yayoi Kusama's lifelong obsession with repetition and self-dissolution, its surface consumed by the same hypnotic pattern that has defined her iconic visual language. The relentless dots spread across the synthetic form, blurring the boundary between figure and the infinite, enacting the psychological concept of "self-obliteration" that Kusama has long used as both a therapeutic practice and artistic philosophy. By clothing an artificial human form in her signature motif, Kusama challenges the notion of individual identity, suggesting that the self is ultimately absorbed and erased by the overwhelming forces of pattern and repetition.

Medium
acrylic on polyester mannequin
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Surreal, Acrylic, Japanese, Avant-Garde, Infinity Nets, White, Polka Dots, Obsessive, Contemporary, Mannequin

More works by Yayoi Kusama

Collected by

Alex Capecelatro, Sebastián In Situ, Mark Weeble , Kylie Cohen, Nick Phoenix , Hamilton Selway Gallery