Yayoi Kusama: I Love Me is the second documentary in the New Artist People Series from Viz Pictures. The film's subject is avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, whose complex life and art make for a fascinating subject. Yayoi Kusama: I Love Me digs beneath the artist's eclectic appearance and manner to reveal a
complex person striving to fulfill her creative impulses while fighting
the effects of mental illness and aging.Yayoi Kusama, who is in her mid-to-late 70s, left Japan in the 1950s to create visual and performance art in New York City. Upon returning to Japan, she carved out a niche with a style readily identified by the use of polka dots. These works ignited international interest in the artist. More recently, she has worked on detailed black and white illustrations.
Much of Yayoi Kusama: I Love Me is built from material shot in or after 2006. The timing of director Takata Matsumoto's access to the artist was fortunate as there was a significant upswing in her notoriety. Kusama received the Praemium Imperiale from the Japan Art Association in 2006. Then, in 2008, one of Kusama's paintings sold at a Christie's auction for $5.1 million dollars.
The director, who spent significant time with the artist and traveled with her to various international exhibitions, ably interweaves her footage of Yayoi Kusama with images of the artist's work, personal photographs from various periods, and interviews with friends. There is a great underlying irony in the film that arises from Kusama's relatively late critical and financial success. She toiled away with little acclaim for decades while making numerous strides as a woman in the art world. Yayoi Kusama: I Love Me really provides a thorough overview of artist's life and struggles, making it a "must see" for anyone interested in contemporary Japanese art and culture.
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