Yayoi Kusama, Eyes, 1989

Acrylic on canvas, 32×41cm.

1. What the title "Hitomi (Eye)" signifies

The first important aspect of this work is that the title clearly indicates "eye." Throughout her life, Kusama repeatedly used motifs such as polka dots, nets, repetition, and proliferation. In overseas museum explanations, her repetitive motifs are cited as "dots," "nets," and "eyes." In other words, "eye" is not an accidental theme in Kusama's work, but can be read as an important symbol representing seeing/being seen, consciousness, hallucination, anxiety, and the fluctuating boundaries of the self.

2. "Eyes" in Kusama's work are not merely parts of a face. Yayoi Kusama's expressions are deeply intertwined with her childhood hallucinatory experiences and obsessive sense of repetition. Her polka dots and nets are not merely decorative; they are described as a visualization of the sensation of the world dissolving into innumerable units and boundaries melting away. From this perspective, it is natural to view the "eye" in "Hitomi (Eye)" not as a part of a human figure, but as a work that thematizes the organ of perception itself. This suggests that it is more likely to address the instability and excessiveness of "the act of seeing" itself, rather than "what is being seen."

3. The era of 1989. 1989 was a period when Kusama was already undergoing international re-evaluation, with major solo exhibitions held in Oxford and New York in that year. At this time, Kusama, having gone through her early avant-garde experiments, was in a phase of presenting her motifs more clearly and with stronger symbolic meaning. Therefore, "Hitomi (Eye)" can be positioned not as an experimental work from her younger days, but as a painting from her mature period, condensed with Kusama's characteristic themes.

4. What the small size means

This work is relatively small at 32x41cm. While Kusama is often associated with large-scale mirror rooms and works that engulf entire spaces, in smaller pieces, the repetition of motifs and the pressure of the gaze can be condensed without escape. If the screen is densely filled with eye forms, polka dots, and repetitive lines, this size should function as a device to impose visual tension on the viewer at close range. One of the charms of Kusama's small works is the high psychological pressure and concentration despite the physical smallness of the work.

"Hitomi (Eye)" can be considered a work that condenses the themes of repetition, hallucination, and self-obliteration, which Yayoi Kusama has explored for many years, into the most direct and symbolic form of an "eye." While polka dots and nets represent cosmic expanse, the "eye" represents the subject that perceives that expanse. In other words, this work can be read as representing the struggle between an infinitely expanding world and the consciousness that gazes upon it.

"Hitomi (Eye)" is a painting that condenses the problems of "repetition" and "perception," which Yayoi Kusama explored throughout her life, into the symbolic motif of an eye. The "eye" indicated by the title is both the seeing subject and a symbol of the anxiety of constantly being seen by the outside world. On a relatively small canvas, Kusama's characteristic persistent repetition creates strong concentration and psychological tension, connecting personal interiority with cosmic infinity.

"Hitomi (Eye)," 1989, acrylic on canvas, 32×41cm.

1. What the title "Hitomi (Eye)" signifies

The first important aspect of this work is that the title clearly indicates "eye." Throughout her life, Kusama repeatedly used motifs such as polka dots, nets, repetition, and proliferation. In overseas museum explanations, her repetitive motifs are cited as "dots," "nets," and "eyes." In other words, "eye" is not an accidental theme in Kusama's work, but can be read as an important symbol representing seeing/being seen, consciousness, hallucination, anxiety, and the fluctuating boundaries of the self.

2. "Eyes" in Kusama's work are not merely parts of a face. Yayoi Kusama's expressions are deeply intertwined with her childhood hallucinatory experiences and obsessive sense of repetition. Her polka dots and nets are not merely decorative; they are described as a visualization of the sensation of the world dissolving into innumerable units and boundaries melting away. From this perspective, it is natural to view the "eye" in "Hitomi (Eye)" not as a part of a human figure, but as a work that thematizes the organ of perception itself. This suggests that it is more likely to address the instability and excessiveness of "the act of seeing" itself, rather than "what is being seen."

3. The era of 1989. 1989 was a period when Kusama was already undergoing international re-evaluation, with major solo exhibitions held in Oxford and New York in that year. At this time, Kusama, having gone through her early avant-garde experiments, was in a phase of presenting her motifs more clearly and with stronger symbolic meaning. Therefore, "Hitomi (Eye)" can be positioned not as an experimental work from her younger days, but as a painting from her mature period, condensed with Kusama's characteristic themes.

4. What the small size means

This work is relatively small at 32x41cm. While Kusama is often associated with large-scale mirror rooms and works that engulf entire spaces, in smaller pieces, the repetition of motifs and the pressure of the gaze can be condensed without escape. If the screen is densely filled with eye forms, polka dots, and repetitive lines, this size should function as a device to impose visual tension on the viewer at close range. One of the charms of Kusama's small works is the high psychological pressure and concentration despite the physical smallness of the work.

"Hitomi (Eye)" can be considered a work that condenses the themes of repetition, hallucination, and self-obliteration, which Yayoi Kusama has explored for many years, into the most direct and symbolic form of an "eye." While polka dots and nets represent cosmic expanse, the "eye" represents the subject that perceives that expanse. In other words, this work can be read as representing the struggle between an infinitely expanding world and the consciousness that gazes upon it.

"Hitomi (Eye)" is a painting that condenses the problems of "repetition" and "perception," which Yayoi Kusama explored throughout her life, into the symbolic motif of an eye. The "eye" indicated by the title is both the seeing subject and a symbol of the anxiety of constantly being seen by the outside world. On a relatively small canvas, Kusama's characteristic persistent repetition creates strong concentration and psychological tension, connecting personal interiority with cosmic infinity.

This work is currently held by our affiliated gallery in France. According to local (French) standards, the condition is good, but the criteria for evaluating the condition of aged items may differ between France and Japan. Please consider purchasing only after acknowledging any signs of use due to age (stains, discoloration, creases, wrinkles, tanning, etc.) as a vintage item. We have not personally inspected the actual item. **More detailed condition photos are available upon request, so please inquire before purchasing.** The artwork is currently stored in France, and delivery after ordering will take at least two weeks. Due to the nature of the artwork, returns after purchase are not accepted.