Yayoi Kusama's Poetic Message Against Coronavirus

Yayoi Kusama, the 91-year-old Japanese artist known for her exploration of psychological trauma, has released a free-verse poem addressing the Coronavirus pandemic, which has caused over 135,000 deaths worldwide. Kusama, who voluntarily entered Seiwa Psychiatric Hospital in Shimane Prefecture in 1977 and commutes daily to her studio, has had a prolific career spanning installation art, performance, children's book illustration, and filmmaking. Despite postponing two solo exhibitions, she broke her silence with a message urging humanity to embrace love, peace, and solidarity. The poem, described as a response to a "terrible monster," includes lines like "Embrace in deep love and the efforts of people around the world // Now is the time to stand up, to bring peace // We have gathered in the name of love, and I hope to satisfy this need // It is time to fight and overcome our unhappiness." Kusama's career began in New York in 1959 amid difficulties and exploded in the 1960s with feminist and pacifist themes. Three years ago, she opened her personal museum in Tokyo, and a comic biography was published about her over a month ago. The article, written by Niccolò Lucarelli for Artribune, frames her poem as a call to draw inspiration from nature's beauty, like Japan's cherry blossoms.