Whilst Yayoi Kusama's prints can be viewed at Andipa's gallery on Walton Street, the leading Japanese artist's creations will be unveiled in Kensington Gardens and Liverpool Street station this summer.
Standing at 6 metres tall and 5.5 metres in diameter, Pumpkin (2024) is Kusama's tallest bronze pumpkin sculpture to date and will be installed by the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens for the public to enjoy from 9th July - 3rd November.
Born in the Nagano region of Japan to seed farmers, Kusama is known for her immersive installations, large-scale sculptures and intricate paintings. Her vibrant works fuse traditional Japanese techniques with Pop art elements, as well as minimalist and conceptual tones.
Kusama frequently features kabocha (pumpkin) in her work which are invariably covered in her signature polka dot pattern. She has said that: "pumpkins have been a great comfort to me since my childhood. They speak to me of the joy of living. They are humble and amusing at the same time, and I have and always will celebrate them in my art." Kusama's connection to kabocha stemmed from her childhood; as the artist's family cultivated the plant's sees, she grew up in a home that was surrounded by fields of squash which undoubtedly had a lasting visual and sensory impact on her career and creations.
A second installation, Infinite Accumulation, will be unveiled in July at Liverpool Street Station. For this site-specific artwork, Kusama has played with and developed her signature polka dot to create linked forms that seemingly hover overhead, giving an ethereal, otherworldly cosmic impression in their suspended state. The installation was sensitively designed in response to the architecture of the new station entrance, adding height and intrigue to encourage passers-by to look up.
Kusama's polka dots feature throughout her work, including this screenprint on wove paper humorously titled 'Napping Pumpkin' (1933). From an edition of 120, it is signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil. Featuring a yellow pumpkin with wavy grooves to evoke its tactile shape. "I love pumpkins because of their humorous form, warm feeling, and a human-like quality and form" she explained in a 2015 interview. "My desire to create works of pumpkins still continues. I have enthusiasm as if I were still a child."
Flowers 2, created in 1999, depicts a yellow and maureen vase with vein-like cracks that suggest an aged, antique surface. The flowers that emerge are given a delicate impression with Kusama's minute and carefully placed dots to define the stems and petals. The varying directions of the flower suggest energy and motion, almost resembling a sea creature. The profile direction of the highest flower looks like it could almost be in conversation with one of the other flower faces.
For more information on Yayoi Kusama prints for sale and to buy Yayoi Kusama prints, contact sales@andipa.com or call +44 (0)20 7589 2371