Yayoi Kusama

“It doesn't matter at all for me that I work in hospital or anywhere with limited space. Every day, I'm creating new works with all my might.”

“I will keep painting until I die.”

“The country of Britain is wonderful because of its royalty.”

“Suppose I put polka dots all over my body and then cover my background completely with polka dots. The polka dots on my body, merging with those in the background, create an optically strange scene.”

“I hope royalty continues forever. This is the thing that can contribute to peace throughout the world.”

“I love painting so much that nothing else matters.”

“Basically, my idea and explorations on fashion have not changed; however, I believe I'm going state-of-the-art on fashion.”

“When I was a child, I used to paint intently. The older I become, and the closer death approaches, the brighter my life gets day by day.”

“I have a flood of ideas in my mind. I just follow my vision.”

“People ask about art and commercialism. I think that if someone tries to sell their work at a high price, that is the wrong way of doing it.”

“I wanted to start a revolution, using art to build the sort of society I myself envisioned.”

“You should create a work that is so valuable it might eventually sell at a high price, but you've got to concentrate on how you create that artwork.”

“When I paint, some things come out, and I don't know. Maybe it's because I have such talent as a painter.”

“Polka dots can't stay alone. When we obliterate nature and our bodies with polka dots, we become part of the unity of our environments.”

“All of my works are steps on my journey, a struggle for truth that I have waged with pen, canvas, and materials. Overhead is a distant, radiant star, and the more I stretch to reach it, the further it recedes. But by the power of my spirit and my single-hearted pursuit of the path, I have clawed my way through the labyrinthine confusion of the world of people in an unstinting effort to approach even one step closer to the realm of the soul.”

“Georgia O'Keeffe proposed that I live with her. She was in New Mexico then, and I wanted to be in New York.”

“With just one polka dot, nothing can be achieved. In the universe, there is the sun, the moon, the earth, and hundreds of millions of stars. All of us live in the unfathomable mystery and infinitude of the universe. Pursuing 'philosophy of the universe' through art under such circumstances has led me to what I call 'stereotypical repetition.'”

“Forget yourself. Become one with eternity. Become part of your environment.”

“While producing art works, illusions appear from time to time due to my mental illness. Every day is a struggle for me.”

“New York is the place that made my and other artists' dreams come true by giving us a chance to realise our ideas and concepts. It was a great place for making a presentation of artistic creation.”