This term in Visual art we will be exploring the artist, Yayoi Kusama.
Yayoi Kusama
‘Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama approaches dots from more of a metaphysical perspective. She incorporates polka dots into her work as three-dimensional forms, as subject matter, as content, and as transcendental symbols. She covers surfaces in polka dots, makes polka dot covered clothing and even fills entire environments with dots.
Says Kusama, “A polka-dot has the form of the sun, which is a symbol of the energy of the whole world and our living life, and also the form of the moon, which is calm. Round, soft, colourful, senseless and unknowing. Polka dots can’t stay alone; like the communicative life of people, two or three polka dots become movement… Polka-dots are a way to infinity.”’
Her work explores many elements and interesting ways of making and creating.
Each week we will explore these elements and aspects of her work. We will examine her patterning and key motifs in her work, the self portrait and her still life work.
The dot:
The motif of the eye:
The net:
Her range of self portrait work:
Her still life work
We will also explore the relationship between colour and emotion and use our developing understandings of Yayoi Kusama’s work to study colour, colour mixing and colour relationships.
Our focus will be to examination of:
- Colour
- Pattern
- Line
- Repetition
Through the exploration of :
- Painting
- Printmaking
- Fabric painting and design
At the National Gallery of Victoria you will find an installation work by Yayoi Kusama. If you have the opportunity to take your child to this exhibit, it would be wonderful as we will refer to it in our learning in Visual art this term.
Here is the blurb from the NGV website:
“On the occasion of the first NGV Triennial, there is a special link with Japan through prolific Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama who has created a new artwork entitled Flower Obsession 2016–17. The installation recreates a furnished living space that visitors are invited to cover using specially-designed 2-D and 3-D flower stickers, gradually covering all of the surfaces and ‘obliterating’ them. This unique participatory work for all ages invites visitors to enter the world of Kusama and has been acquired for the NGV Collection.”
You are welcome to visit the Visual Art room any time and I look forward to making connections with all our families this term!
Hannah Rother-Gelder