Yayoi Kusama's major retrospective, "My Eternal Soul," will run from February 22 to May 22, 2017, at the National Art Center, Tokyo in Roppongi. This will be the largest solo exhibition to date for this globally active avant-garde artist, and the entire museum will be filled with her works. Appearing before the press on September 27, Yayoi Kusama expressed her gratitude for the exhibition and delivered a heartfelt message: "My life has been refined by art. And now, as I face death, I will fight with all my might to pioneer new forms of art." The only Japanese person named to TIME magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World," Kusama began painting polka dots and tracery motifs at the age of 10 and moved to the United States alone in the late 1950s. Using every medium, from painting, sculpture, installation, and video to novels and poetry, Yayoi Kusama has embodied "art" with an overwhelming quantity and quality.

Now 88 years old, her life has always been plagued by illness. She suffered from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder from childhood, loneliness due to lack of understanding from those around her, and her eyesight has deteriorated significantly with age. Despite this, she continues to run at the forefront of the arts, unrelenting. "I could not be more pleased if you could feel my drive to create, my hope for art, and my passion even after I'm gone. I would be truly happy if you could find the path I've walked in your life when you are struggling mentally or in pain," she said tearfully.

After successful retrospectives at renowned museums such as the Tate Modern and the Pompidou Center, and large-scale solo exhibitions in Latin America, Asia, and Northern Europe, Yayoi Kusama's works will finally be gathered together in Tokyo. The exhibition will trace the artist's career from her early days to the present, centering on approximately 130 pieces from her masterpiece "My Eternal Soul," which will be shown in Japan for the first time. A "Polka Dot Garden" will appear outdoors, and the "Mirror Room," the highlight of Kusama's art, will also be on display.


[Exhibition Information]
"Yayoi Kusama: My Eternal Soul"
Location: The National Art Center, Tokyo, Special Exhibition Gallery 1E
Dates: February 22 - May 22, 2017
Hours: 10:00 - 18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays, last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Admission: Adults 1,600 yen, University students 1,200 yen, High school students 800 yen
Closed: Tuesdays (open on May 2)