08/27/2026
Photo by me
ogata
#草間彌生
YAYOI KUSAMA MUSEUM
Copyright reserved
Shot for Vogue
Great memory
Jan 2014 at her studio
When I got a job of the shooting, I didn’t know anything about contemporary art and her.
Before a few days of the shooting, visited her studio.
Manager showed me her new works which the world hadn’t seen yet.
I was astonished and got holy vibe and felt so much energy and it’s so warm like love holding me.
Manager explained that Yayoi was so motivated to make works more because she realized that her artist life was getting to the end.
When I visited the studio, I could also see how she painted with using her stool with wheels.
Very fast and powerful.
I brought chocolate cakes which she likes and she was excited with the shootings and showed me her wig and pumpkin helmet and asked me which I preferred.
I said, “whatever you like, you feel cool” and she took the red wig.
About how I photographed her,
Editor suggested some idea.
But I already have other idea which I got when I visited the studio by myself.
I asked her to let me use her paintings to make a room.
For me, she herself is art too.
And she was living in her art.
This is what I thought when I saw her beautiful works.
But the paintings were new works and too expensive.
The idea got too much risky to damage the works.
The editor thought that I was crazy and tried to stop me.
But Yayoi liked the idea and her manger was willing to let me do the idea.
And shooting was so much fun.
She let me know where she was in the painting.
I was right, she is living in her works.
Then I heard that she loved the photo.
What I learned the most from her was, for artists, there is no any goal. Just work hard and make works.
Many many thanks great artist Yayoi.
