Culture
Into Infinity: Experience The Mesmerising Art Of Yayoi Kusama
This winter, journey into the mind-bending universe of Yayoi Kusama at an extensive new Fondation Beyeler retrospective of the Japanese artist’s work
Just a short ride from central Basel, tucked away in the affluent neighbourhood of Riehen, stands the Fondation Beyeler, designed by Renzo Piano. It’s hard to believe, given its understated architecture and the manor-like serenity of its setting, that this is one of the most visited art museums in all of Switzerland, drawing over 400,000 artgoers a year. Unlike Piano’s better-known, high-tech structures, the building blends quietly into the gentle green landscape, with a softly shaped pond in the foreground – an ideal place to pause, reflect and let the world drift by. There is perhaps no better stage for Yayoi Kusama – one of, if not the most, celebrated Japanese female artists of today – to hold her first exhibition of this magnitude in the country.
[Images, Left: Installation view of Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Narcissus Garden’ 1966/2025, Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, © YAYOI KUSAMA, photo: Matthias Willi. Right: Kusama with her Installation ‘Narcissus Garden’ at the 33. Venice Biennale, 1966 © YAYOI KUSAMA]
Sam Keller, the director of Fondation Beyeler, likens Kusama’s popularity to that of Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol and Frida Kahlo – a comparison few would dare to refute. Trickling down to every facet of popular culture, from blockbuster socks to her famed Vuitton bags, it does not take long to find a trace of Kusama at every corner of the globe. However, what this showcase quietly achieves is not just to unfold her incredible 70-year career, but to demonstrate how vital this indiscriminate manifestation of the artist’s vision is to her practice.
The retrospective opens with drawings from when Kusama was just ten years old, in which her signature polka dots and nets are already clearly present. As is widely known, these were “born of desperation” as “recording them helped to ease the shock and fear” of Kusama’s hallucinations, which began at an early age. These infinite, endless and frightening episodes blurred her boundaries between herself and her surroundings, and Kusama later reflected on the series Infinity Nets, “I forgot about myself as they enveloped me, clinging to my arms and legs and clothes and filling the entire room.”
The comprehensive show features over 300 pieces, including her celebrated immersive installations and iconic motifs. Yet what makes this exhibition so extraordinary is that as many as 130 of these works have never been displayed before, with many coming directly from the artist’s personal collection.
[Images, Left: Installation view of Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Infinity Mirrored Room – The Hope of the Polka Dots Buried in Infinity Will Eternally Cover the Universe’ 2025, Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel © YAYOI KUSAMA, photo: Mark Niedermann. Right: Installation view of exhibition ‘Yayoi Kusama’, Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, 2025 © YAYOI KUSAMA, photo: Mark Niedermann]
As Kusama’s immersive installations and this remarkable exhibition temper the boundaries between observer and artwork with a rhythm of reflection and repetition, they also echo the exactitude of time itself – a fitting resonance given the exhibition benefits from the generous support of Richard Mille, whose own dedication to precision and innovation mirrors the visionary ambition at the Fondation.
Mouna Mekouar, the curator of this exceptional retrospective, emphasises the importance of understanding Kusama’s practice in an innovative approach: “Her etchings, for example, were so important – it’s about accumulation, repetition, and multiples through the idea of medium. So we thought it was great to show some of her etchings. This also shows how curators can discover and add another perspective to the archive,” which in Kusama’s case is said to include 10,000 or even 20,000 creations. It is not surprising that its exact size remains unknown – at 96 years old, the artist still paints daily and is filled with surging creative energy. One of her recent works, My Eternal Soul, reflects her ongoing drive to explore new visual approaches, while Every Day I Pray for Love, a series still in progress, is the result of her committed daily practice.
Mekouar underscores the artist’s deep involvement with the show, her commitment to collaboration, and the deep trust she places in those with whom she works closely. “It was very moving to see all the backs of drawings and sculptures – there were markings and handwritten notes with detailed instructions from her. She has a clear vision, not only for her work, but also for how it should be shown”.
[Images, Left: Installation view of exhibition ‘Yayoi Kusama’, Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, 2025 © YAYOI KUSAMA, photo: Mark Niedermann. Right: Installation view of exhibition ‘Yayoi Kusama’ Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, 2025 © YAYOI KUSAMA, photo: Mark Niederman]
This exhibition examines Kusama’s vision, inviting the viewers to float into an interminable cosmos where, just like the Infinity Mirror Rooms, the boundaries between one and many merge into a vast abyss of multiples. In our ever-troubled, segregated world, it’s a vital perspective.
Yayoi Kusama will be on display at Fondation Beyeler until 25 January 2026.
[Images, Left: Yayoi Kusama, ‘Infinity Mirrored Room–Illusion Inside the Heart’ 2025, Collection of the artist © YAYOI KUSAMA. Right: Installation view of exhibition ‘Yayoi Kusama’ Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, 2025 © YAYOI KUSAMA, photo: Mark Niederman]
[Header image: Installation view of Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Infinity Mirrored Room–The Hope of the Polka Dots Buried in Infinity Will Eternally Cover the Universe’ 2025, Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, © YAYOI KUSAMA, photo: Mark Niedermann. Teaser image: Kusama with Yellow Tree / Living Room in the Aichi Triennale, 2010 © YAYOI KUSAMA, Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, David Zwirner]
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