Starry Pumpkin

Starry Pumpkin

Artist: Yayoi Kusama
Fibreglass reinforced plastic tile
2016

A deeply introspective shape that grounds her legendary career, the pumpkin has become a self-portrait for the artist. Born and raised in Japan, Yayoi Kusama emerged as an artist during the Vietnam era and continues to make work that reaches diverse audiences worldwide. In the hallucinations that Kusama began experiencing since ten years old, pumpkins emerged as a source of comfort.

After finding success in New York City with infinity dots, she created iterations of the gourd across multiple scales and media, praising the fruit for its “generous unpretentiousness,” “its solid spiritual balance,” and as “such tender things to touch, so To Kusama, the pumpkin represents comfort, humility and stability. Starry Pumpkin is a beacon of contemporary art and the epitome of all of Kusama’s inimitable achievements.