Yayoi Kusama apologizes for racist language as SFMOMA exhibition opens

Yayoi Kusama has issued an apology for racist language in her writings as her survey exhibition opens at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The 94-year-old Japanese artist, who resides in a mental health facility, expressed regret through SFMOMA's press office for using hurtful and offensive language in her 2002 autobiography. That book contained descriptions of Black people's 'animalistic sex techniques' and 'distinctive smell,' along with detailed physical observations of a Black collaborator's lips and genitals. These passages were first reported by Vice News in 2017. Kusama's 1971 play Tokyo Lee features a Black character described as a 'WILD-looking, hairy, coal-black savage.' In writings about 1960s Greenwich Village, she lamented the New York neighborhood had become a 'slum' because 'black people are shooting each other out front,' though this sentence was removed from English translations. The San Francisco Chronicle published a critical commentary last week questioning the museum's decision to showcase Kusama's work despite this history. SFMOMA anticipated the controversy, noting its education chief had already planned public programs addressing how institutions present artists with problematic histories. Exhibition tickets have sold out through November's end. Kusama's statement emphasized her lifelong intention to promote love, hope, compassion, and respect through her art.