When I was a child, I used to paint intently. The older I become, and the closer death approaches, the brighter my life gets day by day.
Yayoi KusamaRead
A polka-dot has the form of the sun, which is a symbol of the energy of the whole world and our living life, and also the form of the moon, which is calm. Round, soft, colourful, senseless and unknowing. Polka-dots can't stay alone; like the communicative life of people, two or three polka-dots become movement... Polka-dots are a way to infinity.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the interconnectedness of life and the artistic expression of polka dots as symbols of energy and communication.
Yayoi Kusama uses polka dots as a metaphor for the elements of life and connection. She describes how these colorful shapes embody the energetic aspects of the sun and the calmness of the moon, suggesting that just as polka dots cannot exist in isolation, human relationships thrive on communication and connection. The imagery of polka dots represents both individuality and unity, suggesting a movement toward infinity that signifies a deeper understanding of existence and human experience.
Themes
Polka DotsArtEnergyLifeConnectionCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of creativity, one might reference Kusama's quote to emphasize the significance of community in artistic expression.
More from Yayoi Kusama
All quotes →The thought of continually eating something like macaroni, spat out by machinery, fills me with fear and revulsion, so I make macaroni sculptures. I make them and make them and then keep on making them, until I bury myself in the process. I call this 'obliteration.'
Yayoi KusamaRead
It doesn't matter at all for me that I work in hospital or anywhere with limited space. Every day, I'm creating new works with all my might.
Yayoi KusamaRead
You should create a work that is so valuable it might eventually sell at a high price, but you've got to concentrate on how you create that artwork.
Yayoi KusamaRead
Similar quotes
There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium, and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.
Martha GrahamRead
Memory exercised in a particular way is a natural gift of poetic genius. The poet above all else, is a person who never forgets certain sense impressions which he has experienced and which he can relive again as though with all their original freshness.
Stephen SpenderRead
People are craving this great progress in electronics, going after computers, the Internet, etc. It's a giant progress technologically. But they must have a balance of soul, a balance for human beauty. That means art has an important role.
Mstislav RostropovichRead
Who is Katharine Hepburn? It took me a long time to create that creature.
Katharine HepburnRead
My metaphor for translation has always been that translation is really a performance art. You take the original and try to perform it, really, in a different medium. Part of that is about interpretation and what you think the author's voice really is.
Ken LiuRead
The vast majority of writers out there, they finish their books and no one cares whether their book is late or ever comes out at all. And then it comes out and two reviews are published and it sells 12 copies.
George R. R. MartinRead