“The way I see it, by living in a contemporary position, I’m just attempting to breath in the atmosphere of the times and wanting to open up a bright red flower for the future. It’s the same as the butterfly seeking out the barren mountains for its final destination before death, the silkworm spitting out its silk in spring, or the flowers showing off their vitality in brilliant colours.” - Yayoi Kusama, Mugen no Ami : Yayoi Kusama Jiden



In the forms of paintings, sculptures and action art, Kusama peers into surreal "psychology" and expresses the universe of her mind. Her highly contrastive color schemes returns traces of visual art, music and fashion during the psychedelic period. Her significance is perhaps attributable to her "icon" status, and her explicit yet soulful manifestation. Plagued from a young age by visual and aural hallucinations, Kusama faces her mental illness candidly in “Butterfly.” The flamboyant, playful colors of the piece juxtapose sharply with the geometric restructured feeling which recall the Infinity Nets of Kusama’s early series as well as creating a mosaic effect. “Butterfly” provides the viewer with a glimpse into the fractured yet ultimately connected visualizations of Yayoi Kusama as the artist reconciles her mental obstacles through her creation of art. “Artists,” states Yayoi Kusama, “do not usually express their own psychological complexes directly. But I use my complexes and fears as subjects.”