going dotty

My guest post for Freeworld Design Centre last week was avant-garde with a serious case of the measles…

Louis Vuitton, the powerhouse brand under the helm of Marc Jacobs, continues their collaborations with major artists. This time the creative partnership is with Yayoi Kusama, the 82-year old Japanese artist who’s known for putting brightly coloured dots on everything. The collection will be revealed on July 10 and is set to include silk pyjamas, dresses, trench coats, bags and shoes in an array of bright primary colours. This coincides with Kusama’s retrospective at the Whitney Museum in New York, a second exhibition following the retrospective of her work at London’s Tate Modern museum earlier this year funded by Louis Vuitton.

“Her energy is just endless,” Jacobs said. “For many people who don’t look at art or go to galleries, or maybe they’re not aware of Kusama’s work, there will be a new venue, a new place to see this work and to come to appreciate it through the eyes of Louis Vuitton.”

Kasama became famous for her dotty decoration during the pop art movement in the 1960’s with her colourful polka dotted nudes. Through her avant-garde sculptures, paintings and performance art, Kusama is now acknowledged as one of the most important living artists to come out of Japan. This eccentric visual artist is truly living the dotty life, given that from 1977 she has voluntarily stayed in a mental hospital in Japan where she has continued to make art in her nearby studio, as well as publish several novels, a poetry collection, and an autobiography.

images from NY magazine & fashionologie