ILLUSTRATED BY THAI-ITALIAN ARTIST ELISA MACELLARI, KUSAMA: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL IS KUSAMA YAYOI’S BIOGRAPHY THAT VISUALLY ELABORATES THE SERIES OF WORKS KUSAMA HAS CREATED THROUGHOUT HER LIFE
TEXT: NATHANICH CHAIDEE
PHOTO COURTESY OF LAURENCE KING PUBLISHING
(For Thai, press here)
Recently, Kusama Yayoi’s solo exhibition has been curated as a traveling show that takes viewers to different parts of the world through her works. An introduction to her new art pieces often comes in the form of biographical storytelling where Kusama’s works of art tell her own life story. The timeline begins with her childhood days when she was just a kid drawing with a pencil as it chronologically progresses to showcase her latest series of works exhibited at the main space as the highlight of the show.
Kusama: The Graphic Novel
Elisa Macellari
Laurence King Publishing, 2020
Illustration, 17×24 cm.
ISBN: 978-1-786-27716-9
Illustrated by Thai-Italian artist Elisa Macellari, KUSAMA: The Graphic Novel is Kusama Yayoi’s biography that visually elaborates the series of works Kusama has created throughout her life into the stories behind her existence, thoughts, hallucinations, and mentality. The illustrations’ vivid visuals are comic-like and undoubtedly take inspiration from Kusama’s artistic idiocrasy.
There are various types of images depicted in the novel, from the outer physical surroundings, such as the environment Kusama grew up in, to the hallucinations she had witnessed at different periods of life. The artistic traits of Kusama’s works such as polka dots, the use of bright red colors, organic lines, and repetitive patterns, appear as parts of the story and illustrations. Presented in the form of Manga’s comic strips, the story recounts the prolific artist’s life from when she was a kid until she grew up. The motifs and color combinations gradually lessen as the story progresses, allowing all of Kusama’s characters to reveal themselves.
Apart from her life story, the book includes the backstory of each of her artistic series. The comic novel elaborates the artist’s imagination into the narrative that takes readers on a journey to explore the thoughts and creativity behind Kusama’s works, from a single piece to a series of artworks and everyday life products, which are also a part of her artistic repertoire.
The book is the third volume of Laurence King publication’s Graphic Lives series, which features autobiographies of prominent artists from around the world. From Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jackson Pollock to Kusama Yayoi, the subject of the next series’ fourth volume is Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese artist, and creator of the iconic ‘The Great Wave of Kanagawa’.