The Life of Yayoi Kusama, Presented in Comic-Book Form for the First Time

Yayoi Kusama’s artistic production is now available in all forms imaginable, from works of art valued at several million dollars to simple novelties. Thai-Italian author Elisa Macellari offers a new way of discovering the artist’s life as part of a series created with publisher Laurence King, following publications dedicated to Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jackson Pollock.

Now based in Milan, illustrator Elisa Macellari graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti in Perugia. Among other publications, she has collaborated with the New York Times.

A life marked by difficulties

Although Yayoi Kusama’s life, work, and career are often the subject of writing—or documentaries—Kusama: The Graphic Novel allows the reader to follow the artist’s journey in an unprecedented way, from her departure from Japan to her discovery of the of the New York art scene in the 1960s, and finally her return to her island of birth.

With the artist’s visual universe as the backdrop, along with her iconic polka dots, Elisa Macellari’s 128-page graphic novel containing 400 illustrations retraces a life marked by a difficult relationship with her parents—who did not accept her departure for the USA—her discovery of the work of Georgia O’Keeffe, and her collaborations with Andy Warhol, Joseph Cornell, and Jasper Johns.

After this period of ascension, following the death of her husband, the artist exiled herself in the New Mexico desert, before returning to Japan in 1973. She admitted herself to Seiwa psychiatric hospital in Tokyo. The illustrations allow the reader to understand the way the artist’s obsessions and neuroses have been transformed into a driving force for her creativity. Kusama: The Graphic Novel enables a wider audience to discover the richness of her body of work, composed of drawings, paintings, installations, performances, and even clothing design.

Elisa Macellari’s first graphic novel, Papaya Salad (2018), followed the author’s Thai uncle, who discovered Europe prior to the Second World War thanks to a military bursary.

Published by Laurence King, Kusama: The Graphic Novel is also available in French from Éditions du Chêne.