Kasuma Yayoi

1

Kasuma Yayoi
Matsumoto City, 1929-

2
Background

• Less than Ideal home life
• Born into a reasonable wealthy family governed by
  her overbearing and violent mother
• Father was a womanizer, yet completely dependent
  upon her mother financially

3
Background Continued

• At the age of ten, Kasuma Yayios mental Illness
  became apparent
• She began having visions composed of
  proliferating patterns of dots, nets and other
  shapes.
• She found that through art she was able to gain
  some control over her illness, or rather, at
  least be able to live with it
• Her mother did not approve of her spending time
  on her art and reacted violently with both
  physical and mental abuse towards Kasuma Yayio
• Kasuma Yayio goes off to the Kyoto Municiple
  School for Arts and Crafts

4
New York

• 1958, Kasuma Yayoi goes to New York with no
  intention of going back to Japan
• Spoke little English, knew a few artists and
  could only communicate via letters and use only
  her portfolio to find work
• 1959, first show at Brata Gallery, called
  Infinity Nets
• Knew many artists in New York, like Warhol and
  Georgia OKeefe, lover to Donald Judd and Joseph
  Conrad
• Many people tried to rip off her work

5
Return to Japan

• Kasuma Yayoi returns to Japan by the
  recommendation of her psychiatrist, so as to
  better treat her mental illness
• Committed to a mental institution in Japan

6

What is she Thinking?

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Polka Dots and Nets
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Massive Instalments
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Art Instillation
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Self Obssesion
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FIN!